Trade for Development Centre – BTC (Belgian Development Agency)
Sialkot does not require physical infrastructure, so sports ball producers can become producers of other products overnight. In Pakistan, stitching work usually takes place outside factories, especially during peak seasons, when stitching is outsourced via contractors to stitching units and home-based units in rural areas. These home-based units comprise family members (sometimes also children), who are usually paid per ball stitched. Please take a look at Figure 3.2 for a graphical impression of the Pakistani industry.
Figure 3.2
Industry structure of sports balls production in Pakistan
Source: Facts Figures Future (2010)
PRODUCTION OUTLOOK
Pakistan has long enjoyed the privilege of producing footballs used in several World Cup tournaments but has lost a significant part of their market share to other emerging producing countries, such as China and Thailand. One of the most cited reasons is the use of child labour, which has led to angry consumers and lobbying in the West. Although measures are in place to tackle this issue, the name of Pakistan is still associated with such incidents. Increasing preference for machine-stitched balls is also proving unfavourable to Pakistan. The country lacks advanced manufacturing technology and still depends significantly on the traditional technique of hand stitching. In addition, electricity or power supply shortages are also important production hurdles. It is reported that most production of sports balls for gift and promotional purposes, for which quality is not very important and can be made by machine, is being transferred to China: on the other hand, export demand for quality balls is much less affected.
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