MoU signed for footwear/leather cluster in Punjab
The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the formation of a footwear/leather cluster in the Pakistani province of Punjab was the highlight of a three-day seminar organised by the Footwear Manufacturers Association’s (PFMA).
The event at the Lahore International Expo Centre was the result of a collaboration between the PFMA, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA). The Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Italian Embassy in Islamabad were also partners for the event.
The key purpose of the seminar was to promote investment in the region’s leather, footwear and accessories sector. Wasim Zakaria, PFMA president, said that the aim is to introduce new technology, best practices and global industry benchmarks in order to improve the existing infrastructures and create new industrial units in the country.
The MoU was signed by the PBIT and the InterConnect and Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) and sets aside seventy acres of land on which the cluster will be built. Mr Zakaria said that he hoped the establishment of the cluster would stimulate the creation of new factories to serve the leather sector. This will add value to leather exports and boost the economic output of the sector, he added.
