Islamabad, Oct 15 (IANS): Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has urged businesses to focus on conforming to international standards to achieve high exports and economic growth.

"We are living in an era where success of exports depends on the conformance to international standards because it plays a critical role in promoting and creating consumer confidence in products and thereby provides much needed stimulus for growth of our economy," he said.

"In the global markets productivity alongwith conformance to international standards determine and gives a competitive edge to the products", Gilani said in a message on the occasion of World Standards Day Oct 14.

Gilani said the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has developed a wide range of standards for products, services, health, safety and environment etc.

"These standards have been formulated in the light of parameters set by International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electro Technical Commission, and International Organization on Legal Metrology (OIML)," the APP news agency quoted him as saying.