Boosting exports from a realistic approach

ADDRESSING a recent meeting of executive directors and senior officials of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), which was held primarily to review the new trade policy, TDAP Chief Executive Tariq Ikram is reported to have laid considerable emphasis on the need for further enhancing trade facilitation to the potential stakeholders, in order to set the pace for optimum exploitation of their latent strength from a number of multi-pronged enabling initiatives. The decisions reportedly made on the occasion revolve around provision of further incentives to high potential sectors in a selected range. Mention, in this regard, may specifically be made to the focus on development of the web portals of exporters and promotion of marketing through the Internet. Among the targeted sectors prominently figured the pharmaceutical industry, the rice sector in agriculture, besides engineering goods, carpets, and gem and jewellery sectors. More to this, a marked strategic shift was discernible in the empowerment of women in the area of exports. Notably, with a view further to exploiting the export potential of pharmaceutical sector, the meeting is reported to have proposed to share 50 percent cost of audit/accreditation by the various international health regulatory bodies and bio-equivalence and similar testing in World Health Organisation (WHO) accredited laboratories. Ambitious as these decisions may sound, it should be heartening to learn that they appear to be backed by a lot of homework already done by the TDAP, which has also worked out strategies to proceed with the task in the desired direction. This has reference to the contemplated steps it would be taking to ensure effective implementation of the proposals. An idea of this may be had from the hints dropped of the manner in which specific proposals would be pursued.
This should become clearly evident from the TDAP programme of holding frequent consultations with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) and Rice Exporters’ Association of Pakistan (Reap) to produce qualitative Japonica rice for export. Again, to arrest the decline in the export of carpet, its expectation of implementation by the Ministry of Commerce through a notification to allow the import of semi-finished carpets on temporary basis under the customs SRO 1065, can be viewed as confidence-inspiring. The same can be said about the revelation made on the occasion that TDAP had been working with the Ministry of Commerce to look into the promotion of exports of engineering goods and that it had proposed an inland freight subsidy for transportation of export-destined goods. As for induction of women entrepreneurs in export promotion in a big way, realistic should appear the authority’s ongoing efforts further to develop a common facilitation centre, technical workshop and industrial plots. Hence, the meeting’s decision to submit the proposals in this regard to the Planning Commission for the PSDP funding on completion of PC-I. Similarly, while contemplating various measures for development of gem and jewellery sector reference to strong likelihood of revision of value addition for export of gold and jewellery should appeal to reason too. All in all, the TDAP’s thrust for a realistic approach to boost export will be found confidence-inspiring on various counts.
 

Token gesture

LIKE her seven previous trips to the region, many of them coming ahead of the planned US-sponsored international summit aimed at injecting life into the Middle East peace process, expectations for the current visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, are low. Whether in her talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday or her meeting today with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Rice will not be getting what she wants most: a joint Palestinian-Israeli document outlining the principles by which a Palestinian state could eventually be established. The two sides have recently been holding an intensive round of bilateral talks in hopes of hammering out some sort of basis on paper but it is obvious by now that Rice can do no more than encourage the two to keep trying. The joint document is a key component ahead of the international peace conference. Without it we can expect little in the way of achievement or future progress. But Israeli rejection of being pinned down by specifics — borders, Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian refugees, Palestinian prisoners, the possible division of Jerusalem, a timeline or deadline — effectively and significantly diminishes both chance for, and hopes of, peace.
The deep divisions between Fatah and Hamas and the diplomatic and economic squeeze on Gaza, two issues which will not be mentioned at the summit, will ironically make its chances at success even less certain. Abbas’ recent meeting with Hamas officials, while it was the first since the group’s takeover of the Gaza Strip in June, did not represent a change in policy. Hamas must give up control of Gaza before any reconciliation talks between the two sides can take place. And Hamas’ plan to hold a two-day conference in Damascus at the same time as the one in Annapolis will highlight its rejection of the upcoming US conference and seriously weaken the Palestinian position in Annapolis. Rice has not put forward her own ideas on which the Annapolis discussions will focus. America is thus not imposing its own plan — even if it has one — but rather, facilitating an agreement. Not many think the Annapolis conference on its own can achieve a breakthrough. The conditions for peace are not at their best, and time is not on the Bush administration’s side. There is of course suspicion as to why the Bush administration has suddenly chosen to focus on the issue now, after doing very little — except for siding heavily with the Israelis — in its first seven years. America’s recent engagement could be about trying to win support for its actions in Iraq and also appeasing growing Arab anger with the US. No other party is as capable of making so great a contribution to advancing peace in the region as is Washington, but in the absence of any pressure on Israel, and a genuine determination to grant Palestinians their rights, the impression is that the Americans will not go out of their way to achieve peace. Annapolis is shaping up as no more than a token gesture from Washington.

—Arab News