Pakistan: PSQCA testing rates world’s lowest

Karachi—Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority’s (PSQCA) testing rates are among the lowest compared to other world standard certification agencies. “PSQCA is being run on self-finance basis with no aid or funding from the Government and our testing rates are among the lowest compare to other certification agencies, that is 0.05% of the value,” said Director General, Junaid Qureshi while addressing the members of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

According to a KCCI statement issued on Wednesday, the meeting of KCCI members with the DG and Deputy DG of PSQCA was held on Tuesday at the Chamber.

Junaid Qureshi said PSQCA was working closely with ANSI & ISO (American National Standard Institute & International Standards Organisation, respectively) to develop standards and make compliance with World Trade Organisation (WTO), in order to increase the trade and access of Pakistani goods to international markets.

He said that the Authority was meeting its expenses and development work through levy of product marking and license fee to the companies which were registered with them. Qureshi said that the PSQCA has presence in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, Hub, Sukkur and Hyderabad.

The meeting of PSQCA officials and office bearers and members of KCCI was focused on imported related issues, need of standardization and Halal food certification and industry’s participation in the process.

The Deputy DG, PSQCA, Dr. Shahzad Afzal said that India and Bangladesh were actively participating in the technical committees and standards development process with ISO, ANSI and other leading organizations and by doing that they were automatically gaining expertise in different sectors and standards like IT/telecom, Chemical and Energy and Pakistan was way behind and there was need to create awareness for standards development. However, he said that Pakistan’s textile sector was having most benefits as due to the quality control and certifications, textile products were being easily exported to international markets.

He suggested that there was great scope to take advantage of the other standards pertaining to food, CNG and energy and power standards.

Dr. Afzal said that PSQCA was a neutral body to facilitate the business community and they need members having expertise from all industry in technical committees to help in development of standards. “it takes around 2 to 4 years in development of standards and a lot of effort and brainstorming,” he pointed out.

He said that the Authority established Halal food standards in 2 years with the help of 14 members. Speaking on the occasion, former president KCCI, Anjum Nisar pointed out that marking fee of PSQCA was RS 9,400 per sample which was too high and no further benefit was being passed on to the importer. He also elaborated that Halal Food market has a potential of 500-800 billions or even dollars 1 trillion but Pakistan being the second largest Islamic nation in the world, has not captured 1% or even 0.25% of the Halal food market.