ISLAMABAD, Jan 07 (INP-WealthPK): Although the global Covid-19 pandemic has caused the worst economic downturns worldwide, it has also proved a blessing in disguise for some sectors, especially small and medium enterprises. “The pandemic helped the Pakistani SMEs access the world markets through e-commerce in a cost-effective way,” said Atif Munir Sheikh, president of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI). One of the positive things brought about by the coronavirus pandemic is that many sectors have shunned the traditional way of doing business and turned to e-commerce, thus opening new avenues of development,” said Mr Sheikh, while addressing a seminar on ‘Grow your Export Business with ALIBABA.COM’ Mr Sheikh said that the entire global system switched over to e-commerce as people avoided direct contact due to Covid-19. “During the e-commerce boom across countries, Bill Gates, who introduced e-commerce, failed to keep pace and maintain its upper hand. Alibaba filled the void and became a global e-commerce giant.” FCCI chief said it was heartening to note that a large number of Pakistani youths, in age groups of 20-30 years, were working with Alibaba, and have achieved excellent results. “New start-ups have seen rapid growth thanks to Alibaba, which has opened new avenues for them. Youth have adopted new technologies and are now yielding the best results,” said FCCI president. Mr Sheikh suggested using Alibaba to export high-quality value-added textile products throughout the world. “Faisalabad is the hub of textiles, which should be exploited through platforms such as Alibaba.” Saad Khawaja and Waqas Khawaja, who have got a franchise of Alibaba in Faisalabad, said that in view of the increasing importance of e-commerce, local youth should be trained to effectively use the global platform to give a quantum jump to textile exports.