A technical training institute will be set up in Sialkot, Pakistan. The institute will be affiliated with Japan. With regular functioning it will help exporters engaged in the readymade garment industry to induct trained workforce to improve the overall productivity and quality of the product. Sialkot has become the fourth largest producer of readymade garments and sportswear, particularly in martial arts uniforms.

Meanwhile Pakistan’s readymade garment industry has underscored the need for formulation of sector wise policies which will help in increasing exports and support minimising the problems confronted by the business community. It says special focus should be accorded on short term polices for overcoming the decline in exports and that efforts should be taken to capture the European Union market.

Exporters also say there is a dire need for formulating an aggressive marketing plan at the earliest so as to gain the maximum benefits of GSP status. They want a special R&D support fund for innovation of new products and upgradation of workplaces and a special package of concessions which could enhance exports by seven billion dollars. They say declaring the imports of raw material duty free would help them in efficient functioning. A crippling problem Pakistan’s textile sector faces is that of power and gas outages.