Lahore, March 02, 2018 (PPI-OT): Mr. Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi, Federal Minister for Industries and Production has appreciated the role of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) in developing the modern-technology-based projects for various SME Clusters in the country. While addressing a meeting arranged by SMEDA with Sports Industry leaders of Pakistan, he advised SMEDA to play an even more effective role in bringing stakeholders of Industry together and addressing the impediments to SME growth, like it had been done by setting up Sports Industry Development Center (SIDC) with the cost of Rs. 436 million in Sialkot to produce mechanized Foot Balls to maintain Pakistan’s Share in the world foot-ball trade.
He announced that another centre, along with SIDS, would be established to produce composite based sports goods for enabling the local exporters to produce Hockey sticks, Baseballs, Cricket bats, Billiard Ques, Rackets, Fishing Tackle and Golf sticks. He said that an amount of Rs.487.97 million required for this project would be provided through Public Sector Development Program (PSDP). He advised SMEDA to complete the project within next 4 years.
Speaking on this occasion Mr. Abid Ahmad Khawaja, Vice President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Qaiser Iqbal Biryal, Chairman Board of Management, SIDC, Mr. Hasanien Cheema, Sports Goods Association, Dr. Adnan Idrees Butt and Mr. Rehmatullah Javaid, Chairman SME Committee of the FPCCI also acknowledged the valuable services of SMEDA in reviving the SME-based Sports Industry of Pakistan, which was going to be out from the world market due to unavailability of the latest technology, but the establishment of SIDC has rejuvenated the industry with new vigour.
Mr. Sher Ayub Khan, Chief Executive Officer of SMEDA, giving a brief account of SMEDA Projects, informed that SMEDA’s consultation process with stakeholders of SMEs had identified the dire need of modern technology among various SME clusters. The mango cluster in Multan, the Red Chili cluster in Kunri (Sindh) and the Sports Industry in Sialkot would have died, had SMEDA not provided them the modern technology, he said and thanked the Federal Ministry of Industries and Production, who had honoured the recommendations of SMEDA to bring the requisite projects on ground.
He informed that SMEDA, since 2006 till date, had developed about 27 common facility projects with the investment of about Rs.5.7 billion, out of which 19 projects including the SIDC had started running operation. He acknowledged that such huge and complexed projects could not be erected without committed support of the Ministry of Industries and the local business community.
Earlier Raja Hassanien Javed, Provincial Chief SMEDA-Punjab and Mr. Sarwar Hanif, Project Director SIDC gave briefing to the Minister Mr. Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi on significance of the SIDC. They told that the installed capacity of the centre is 1000,000 balls per year on a single shift basis, which may be enhanced in two shifts depending on the need.
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Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA)
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