Trade Development Authority of Pakistan to sponsor mega leather show

Karachi, April 26, 2013 (PPI-OT): Chief Executive Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Abid Javed Akbar has announced to sponsor Pakistan’s first ever mega leather show being held in Lahore this year. Speaking at a dinner reception hosted by Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) in honour of newly elected Vice President FPCCI, Gulzar Firoz on Thursday Abid Javed said that TDAP would facilitate leather industry and support with a proactive approach to overcome chronic stagnation of this important sector, which is third largest foreign exchange earning industry of the country with annual exports of $1.05 billion.

He said that leather sector has a potential to increase its exports by 100 percent in next three years and TDAP would provide every possible assistance to the leather sector to achieve this target. He further assured TDAP’s help exporters to focus on exploring the market for Pakistani value-added leather items. He congratulated the Royal Leather to win second best tannery’s award in Asia pacific Leather show held in Hong Kong recently.

The Chief Guest of the gathering and patron In-chief Korangi Association of Trade and industry S M Mnueer has pointed out the issue of subsidy on laboratory test in leather industry which was borne by TDAP and then withdrawn later on. He asked the CE TDAP to restore this facility as industry has no state of the art facility of material testing. He also demanded to reconstitute the board of directors of TDAP so that its affairs could be run smoothly. Muneer has shown his utter dismay over the unabated exports of calf beef and exports of female cows and buffalos.

He called for immediate ban on this immoral practice. He advised the CE to hold monthly meetings with the stakeholders’ to discuss ways and means of export promotion. Gulzar Firoz while speaking on the occasion said that power outages have resulted badly on quality and production of leather industry and exports are severely affecting. He demanded of the government to get the leather sector exempted from all types of load-shedding.

He appealed to the CE TDAP to adopt Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) as its management is facing extremely difficult to run due to financial constraints. Earlier, Chairman PTA (SZ) Amanullah Aftab said that due to efforts of S M Muneer and PTA’s former Chairman Khurshid Ahmed some developmental works were initiated by KMC and KWSB but unfortunately none of them has so far been completed.

He earnestly called for completion of such projects so that leather industry would be able to concentrate on exports. He paid glowing tributes to Gulzar Firoz for his services to the leather sector. Former Chairman PTA Nasim Shafi, Chairman KATI Mohammad Zubair Chhaya and CEO KITE Ltd Masood Naqi also spoke on the occasion.

For more information, contact:
Abdul Wahab
Press Secretary KATI
Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI)
ST-4/2, Sector 23, Korangi Industrial Area,
Karachi 74900
Tel: +9221 3506 1211 -2
Cell: +92346 2012346
Fax: +9221 3506 1215
Email: kati@kati.pk