- PM’s adviser says he will soon visit all the chambers of commerce in the country to finalise national industrial policy
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood said on Saturday that China has granted Pakistan additional access to its market, adding that the government is working to slash unnecessary imports and increase the country’s exports, a local media outlet reported.
Talking to industrialists in Karachi, Dawood said unnecessary items would be removed from the shelves of supermarkets and precious foreign exchange would not be spent on such imports.
He said that the government was hammering out national, industrial and tariff policies to facilitate the business community.
“The government has taken effective steps to facilitate business in the mini-budget, which will be approved in the next week,” he stated. “The government has paid special attention to 10 to 15 sectors of the economy.”
Dawood stressed the urgent need of a national industrial policy in the country, saying that he would soon visit the chambers of commerce and industries across the country to finalise the national industrial policy.
He termed the iron and steel industries as the backbone of the economy and expressed his pleasure that steel production in the country has reached one million tonnes per annum.
The adviser noted that Pakistan required six million tonnes of steel per year, adding that the country was spending $2 billion on steel import.
He said although Pakistan was facing current account, budget and trade deficits, the government was taking appropriate steps to address these grave issues on a priority basis.
Earlier on Jan 19, Abdul Razzaq Dawood, while addressing a ceremony in Karachi, had said that the government was pursuing an export-led growth strategy.
“The current economic condition poses a serious threat but the government is taking emergency measures to fix it. The business community and the government can work together to overcome challenges,” he had said. “This year, we will achieve the target of highest exports in the history of the country.”
