Trade Policy 2004-05: Govt may privatise marketing arm of EPB to help boost exports

* EPB board likely to be set up

By Khalid Mustafa

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to corporatise or privatise the marketing arm of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), as a part of efforts to re-structure the working of the EPB to help boost the country’s exports.

A senior government official told Daily Times that the government is expected to make a formal announcement in this regard in the forthcoming Trade Policy for the next fiscal year.

He said EPB officials in Karachi briefed Tasneem Noorani, the federal commerce secretary, on the proposal during his first visit to EPB on Monday.

The official said the marketing arm of EPB, which is called Supply Chain Management, would either be corporatised or privatised.

“If it is corporatised, then leading professionals would be hired from the corporate sector and they would be given the task in specific sector to market specific items with a view to enhance exports,” he said.

He said if the Supply Chain Management is to be privatised, then consultant firms would be asked to market various local products and added such consultant firms would be able to utilise EPB offices of this particular wing across the country.

The official said the EPB currently consists of 1) Geographical and Regional Management Division that holds exhibitions abroad, taking care of delegations coming in and going out of the country to enhance trade volume, 2) Supply Chain Management that markets products, 3) Administration, 4) Export Development Fund/Export Marketing Development Fund, 5) Skill Development Fund and Textile Directorate.

The official said the government has decided only to corporatise or privatise the Supply Chain Management and added that a final decision on the issue would be taken in consultation with Tariq Ikram, chairman EPB.

EBP board likely: The official said the government is also likely to constitute a board of the EPB, to be headed by the commerce minister and include the secretary commerce, chairman and vice chairman, and secretaries of all economic ministries.

“The EPB board would give policy guidelines under which the EPB would work,” he said.

The official said the government under the re-restructuring plan has also decided to extend more financial autonomy to the EPB since approvals of even small sums of money are required by the commerce ministry or the finance minsitry.

He said in the forthcoming Trade Policy the government is also going to announce the setting up of electronics and automobile parts clusters each in Karachi and Lahore.

Source