ISLAMABAD, November 5, 2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed authorities to abolish the requirement for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to export 80 percent of their output to qualify for long-term financing, in a move aimed at improving access to affordable credit and supporting business growth.
Chairing a high-level meeting on facilitating export-oriented SMEs, the prime minister also warned that banks would not be allowed to disregard the government’s concessional financing schemes for SMEs and exporters.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz Sharif directed relevant authorities to ensure financial and institutional support for SMEs, including measures to strengthen their operational capacity, workforce skills and business development.
He also called for improvements in accreditation standards, expansion of testing laboratories and simplification of regulatory procedures to facilitate exporters.
The prime minister directed the establishment of modern laboratories to provide exporters with testing and certification facilities closer to their business locations.
During the meeting, officials briefed the prime minister on consultations held with SME representatives, highlighting concerns related to taxation, refunds, provincial levies, accreditation, logistics, payments and financing.
The meeting was informed that approximately 17,000 SMEs were engaged in export activities across Pakistan.
Officials said the State Bank of Pakistan’s SME loan facilitation portal, launched on November 1, had received more than 10,000 applications.
The government has allocated Rs300 billion under the Export Finance Scheme for SMEs and new exporters, while Rs350 billion has been earmarked for the Long-Term Financing Facility during the current year.
The meeting was also briefed on initiatives to increase Pakistani exports to African markets.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Industries Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad and other senior officials attended the meeting.