Gems, jewellery exhibition opens tomorrow

Rawalpindi : The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) is going to organise three-day Gems and Jewellery exhibition on September 14-16 in Islamabad.

This was informed by RCCI President Zahid Latif Khan at a press conference at chamber house Rawalpindi.

He said that the exhibition would provide opportunity to the businessmen to showcase the best of Pakistani gemstones, diamonds, jewellery, and mineral specimens from across the country.

Giving details, the RCCI chief said that the main purpose of this expo was to attract foreign investment in non-conventional sectors like gems and jewellery and to promote small and medium enterprise (SME).

There will more than 60 stalls of different items including precious stones, gems, ornaments and silver, Gold and diamond jewellery.

Pakistan always focused on traditional sectors to increase exports, however, we must look for new opportunities and sectors like gems and jewellery to attract foreign investment as countries like Thai land, Sri Lanka and Central Asian states have shown interest, he added.

He also mentioned that Pakistan is rich in natural resources of gems and stones. Similarly, our workers and experts are also skilful.

The Government should come forward and add incentives here to reduce taxes on import of machinery and other raw material used in this sector, he further added.

Zahid Latif Khan informed that Pakistan has enormous wealth of expensive gems such as ruby, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, topaz, peridot, aquamarine, spinel, pargasite, diopside, moonstone, pink topaz, sapphire, zircon, feldspar, agate, serpentine jade, epidote, pink beryl (morganite), purple beryl, sphene, zoisite, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and kunzite etc.

Comparing the gem industries of Pakistan and India, he said, “India earns up to $ 26 billion as foreign exchange by exporting only three kinds of stones while Pakistan manages to earn $ 300 million, despite having more than 270 kinds of stones.”