UNISAME Demands High Impact Steps For Micro TO Medium Sector Promotion

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) felicitated and appreciated the concern of the new minister for commerce and textiles Pervaiz Malik for increasing exports and taking all stakeholders on board and invited his attention that unless high impact steps are taken for the promotion and development of the majority sector there will not be any substantial change.

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said few high impact steps are needed to bring about rapid and fast track export promotion namely an' SME Export Promotion Bureau' equipped with an SME Gallery which displays all SME products made in Pakistan with e-commerce facilities and online business. This bureau could offer marketing support to the SME exporters.

Secondly an SME Fund for the SME entrepreneurs with access to finance for SMEs. An SME specific bank could manage the funds.

Thirdly for uninterrupted energy, all alternate energy devices and systems must be subsidized.

Thaver regretted that the recommendations of the Union sought by Professor Ahsan Iqbal during his tenure at the ministry of economic affairs remained unimplemented.
He demanded immediate increase in scope and size of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and a technical institute for technological support.Value addition is the key to increase in exports.

Thaver reiterated the demands of UNISAME for land at concession, commercial property leasing under pay as you earn schemes and also an SME Liaison Committee
(SME-LC).

Finally he urged the federal minister to set up a Better Business Bureau (BBB) like in developed countries for complaints against substandard goods and services.and also take action against fake and counterfeit goods.