Pakistani Women to Rejuvenate Chinese Handicraft Industry

Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Shah Faisal Afridi has said that shifting of Chinese handicrafts industry to Pakistan could play a vital role in empowering Pakistani women.

PCJCCI President speaking at the chamber’s think tank meeting here on Thursday urged the government to work on strategic methods to bring the women in main stream of economy and address the cultural barriers in the full exercise of women’s citizenship.

Shah Faisal Afridi said that China could be helpful in attaining this goal as this is one of the leading producers of hand-made products with over 40 percent share in the world trade but with the technological revolution and high labour cost, the handmade sector in China is highly disturbed.

In this scenario, Pakistan can become the manufacturing house of handicrafts for China as Pakistan is enriched with a labour captive skilled human resource in the form of bucolic women, he said and added that there was an intense similarity of interest between Pakistan and China in respect to production and exports of giftware and handicrafts, which could lead to a viable partnership between the two countries.

PCJCCI Senior Vice President Ahmed Hasnain said that currently the handicraft manufacturing industry in China is facing hurdles due to expensive labour, whereas demand of the traditional hand-made products is on the rise. Therefore it will be beneficial for Pakistan to initiate joint ventures with China in the handicrafts sector on the basis of buy-back guarantee. Under this mechanism raw materials and wages may be provided by China and in return market-driven handicrafts items will be produced by Pakistan which will also provide platform to empower the women of Pakistan.

The handicrafts sector is the only sector having direct linkage with skills of women so there is dire need to tap this segment to empower more than 50 percent population of women in Pakistan, he added.

PCJCCI General Secretary Salahuddin Hanif shared his views and the revival of handicrafts industry depends on the development of infrastructure, provision of financial support to women artisans, establishment of direct links between buyers and artisans, elimination of middle-men and improved marketing facilities.