LAHORE: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is promoting the knitted garment sector in Pakistan by supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in making exports to the International markets.
Recently, the SMEs have made exports worth $3.3 million to the US markets by exporting their products to the world famous US retail outfits. The export products which were selected on the basis of their compliance to international quality and environmental standards include knitted tops and bottoms, T-shirts, pullovers and polo shirts.
USAID through its Firms Project is supporting these SMEs to build up their production base and cater to the demands of mid-tier international buyers in the knitted garment sector.
The twenty selected SME’s have been facilitated in receiving accredited certifications, such as Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) and Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).
In addition, the selected SMEs are being supported with training and workforce development, machinery upgrades, enterprise resource planning system and creation of market linkages.