The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) has asked the government to grant industry status to the packaging and corrugated sector.

“The business community should also be taken on board in trade and industry-related policy making and should be given due representation in the government bodies,” the LCCI office-bearers demanded in a press release received by WealthPK.

These demands were raised by LCCI President Kashif Anwar, Senior Vice President Chaudhry Zafar Mahmood and Vice President Adnan Khalid Butt while talking to delegations of All Pakistan Corrugated Cartons Manufacturers Association (APCCMA), Shahalam Market, Anarkali, Camera Market and Ehsas for Life Foundation.

APCCMA delegation leader Khawaja Imtiaz said that the government should patronize the corrugated sector which was facing severe problems including a shortage of raw materials and a hike in paper and utility prices.

He informed the LCCI office-bearers that production costs had to be reduced otherwise a number of factories would be forced to close down their operations.

Khawaja Imtiaz said the corrugated sector was employing more than 1.5 million people besides being an important source of revenue for the government. If the issues of that sector were not resolved, the jobs of millions of people would be at stake, he added.

The LCCI office-bearers said that the government should resolve all the issues of the packaging sector as high utility prices and repeated increases in paper prices posed serious challenges for the businessmen attached to that sector.

The utility services and raw materials should be provided to the industry at cheaper rates as the high cost of doing business was one of the major obstacles being faced by it, they added.

They observed that the corrugated cartons manufacturing sector held significant importance in all industries. The widespread popularity of online business and e-commerce had increased the importance and value of the corrugated cartons sector, they said.

Corrugated cartons were the first choice for many products and service industry businesses due to their efficiency, durability and dependability, the LCCI office-bearers noted.

They said that the chamber would play its role to get the packaging/corrugated sector the status of an industry. The delegations of Shahalam Market, Anarkali and Camera Market lauded the LCCI’s efforts for the well-being of the business community.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk