KARACHI: Pakistan has launched fresh consultations with its sports goods industry to address structural weaknesses that officials and exporters say are limiting the sector’s ability to compete in international markets, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s sports goods industry, centered in Sialkot, supplies footballs and equipment to major global brands and remains one of the country’s most internationally visible export sectors. But manufacturers say outdated skills, limited certification capacity, slow export-related refunds and gaps in technical training make it harder for Pakistani products to meet the compliance and quality standards required by global buyers.
Industry representatives argue that maintaining Pakistan’s foothold in the international sports goods market will require modern training aligned with industry needs, stronger quality assurance systems and streamlined procedures for export financing and tax rebates. The sector, which employs tens of thousands of workers, has repeatedly called for third-party testing and certification to match global benchmarks.
“The importance of introducing third-party certification to meet international quality benchmarks was also highlighted,” the Ministry of Commerce said in its statement after it held a consultative meeting with the Sectoral Council for Sports Goods, chaired by Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Commerce.
