Lahore - The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) held a dissemination seminar on ‘Post Strategic Trade Policy Framework’ in collaboration with USAID and Federal Ministry of Commerce here at a local hotel on Saturday.
LCCI Executive Committee Member Amjad Ali Jawa represented the LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad on the occasion while Federal Secretary for Commerce Azam Ali Ranjha, along with Trade Policy DG Raheela Tajwar, Director Arsalan Ahmad, Senior Trade Policy & Research Specialist Tayyaba Batool, Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association chairman, Mubbasher Butt from Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) DG Sher Afghan were the key speakers.
The seminar was organised to provide awareness about the initiatives included in the Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF), to educate the private sector about procedural requirements, eligibility criteria and other formalities so that it could make the most of incentives provided in the STPF. Its other objectives were to get feedback from the private sector for course corrections in the current STPF and monitoring implementation of the trade policies, to develop public-private partnership for implementation of the STPF initiatives and identify areas/issues for further research and analysis by Ministry of Commerce in order to design the future STPF.All the participants gave suggestions for institutional strengthening and export development. They said that those areas should be focused on a priority basis, which were imperative for the growth of exports.
The participants also stressed the need for brand development, saying that matching grants should be given to facilitate the branding and certification for faster growth of the SME and export sectors through intellectual property registration, including trade and service marks.