According to Punjab's Provincial Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment, Muhammad Ajmal Cheema, Pakistan’s leather exports are set to rise to $1 billion in the current financial year.

Speaking at a seminar on the topic of "The role of PCSIR in the development of the leather industry" at the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratory in Lahore on March 14, he said that Pakistan achieved $883 million in exports in the last fiscal year and this was set to rise further.

He stated that the leather industry in Pakistan was booming pointing to the 115% and 64% rises in the export of leather gloves and leather products. However, he added that despite this boom, Pakistan's share of the international leather and leather goods market only stands at 3%.

Mr Cheema stated that it was now time to improve the quality of the country’s leather goods in order to achieve certain targets and increase Pakistan’s share of the international market. But, in order to do this and in order to be able to export to Europe and the USA, it was essential that Pakistan’s leather goods achieve quality certification from laboratories, stating that the PCSIR was trying its level best to fulfill the laboratory testing requirements for leather goods.

He also praised the PCSIR in assisting 800 industrial units in Pakistan to achieve ISO 9001 certification.