The Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA) today issued a stark warning about a deepening crisis threatening the nation”s historic handmade carpet industry, calling for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif”s immediate intervention to prevent the collapse of a significant foreign exchange-earning sector.
In a joint statement, the association”s leadership detailed an “unprecedented downturn” in the trade. The statement was issued by PCMEA Chairman Mian Atiq-ur-Rehman, Patron-in-Chief Abdul Latif Malik, Vice Chairman Riaz Ahmed, Chairperson of the Carpet Training Institute Ijaz-ur-Rehman, and senior members Usman Ashraf and Saeed Khan.
They attributed the dangerous fall in handmade carpet exports to a combination of escalating production costs, a substantial tax burden, and various administrative obstacles. These challenges have severely hampered the industry”s ability to compete with traditional rivals in global markets.
The PCMEA leadership has formally appealed to the Prime Minister, along with the Finance and Commerce Ministers, to formulate and implement a comprehensive and coordinated policy. They stressed the need for a strategy specifically designed to support the cottage-based carpet industry, which is dispersed across different regions of the country.
As part of their proposals, the association urged the government to provide direct financial assistance to skilled workers through stipends to ensure their retention within the sector. They also called for special incentives aimed at reducing the high costs of production for manufacturers and exporters.
The association noted that such relief measures are crucial not only to protect the livelihoods of millions of families dependent on the trade but also to shield the national economy from further financial losses.