Samsung to launch operations in Pakistan: Dawood

Pakistan set to export mobiles in January 2022, says Dawood

ISLAMABAD: Advisor on Commerce Razak Dawood on Tuesday said that Korean company Samsung had initally refused to come to Pakistan; however, later the company changed its earlier decision and agreed to come to Pakistan.

“A joint venture with a local partner is on to establish a manufacturing and assembly plant in the country,” he informed.

According to details, Lucky Motor Corporation, a subsidiary of Lucky Cement Ltd (LCL), has signed an agreement with Samsung Gulf Electronics Co, FZE for producing Samsung mobile devices in Pakistan.

Responding to queries before the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, the advisor said that a Chinese company is setting up a factory in Karachi for mobile phone manufacturing.
He apologised to the members of the committee on the absence of the commerce secretary. Additional Secretary Commerce, Mujtaba Memon, informed the committee that secretary commerce, Saleh Farooqui, was busy in Karachi, preparing for Expo 2020.
“I am now trying to convince the Chinese to start mobile phone exports from Pakistan. They [Chinese] started production last year and I had given them a target of December 2021. They have assured me that they will begin exports from January 2022 onward,” he added.
Dawood further informed the committee that rice export to China had been paused due to coronavirus.
In this regard, Executive Director General Commerce Rafeo Bashir Shah said that coronavirus was found on rice sacks, due to which China stopped the imports of rice. China has decided that teams of experts from their country would come to Pakistan to inspect the rice here for future consignments.

Similarly, the virus was also found inside the packing of consignments sent by six fish companies, due to which China has curtailed imports from these companies, stating poor hygiene standards.

DG Trade Policy Waqas Azeem briefed the committee that exports targets in the last two programmes were not realistic and hence unattainable. In previous trade policies, the emphasis was on three markets, including China and the EU.

Additional Secretary Commerce Mujtaba Memon apprised the committee that the government has reduced energy rates for industries. Duty and taxes on the raw materials have been slashed too, he added. “We have created new trading partners. Our emphasis on exports in new development sectors other than the traditional sector has also contributed to our exports,” he said.

The commerce adviser said the government has not offered any subsidy to the industry in energy. “The sector should be provided electricity at par with the industries of the rival countries. The new DLTL policy is going to be extended to new areas besides the traditional ones,” Dawood added.

He emphasised that Pakistan’s exports were minimal and the country has to look towards new sectors. “We are bringing 11 new sectors including engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, auto parts, fruit and vegetable, meat and poultry which will further improve our exports,” he underlined.

Senator Muhammad Qasim said that some foreign companies were coming to Pakistani waters for seafood which was leaving local fishermen in a nasty situation.

Senator Muhammad raised a question regarding the number of marble and minerals industries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The commerce ministry should also focus on these areas, he added.

He highlighted that after the merger of integrated areas, people were not being given loans to set up industries. The Senate committee chairman noted that the funding ratio of loans in Balochistan and KP was meagre. For KP, the loan funding rate is one per cent, while for Balochistan it is less than 0.5pc.

The commerce adviser assured the committee that they would solve the mentioned problems while focusing on marble and minerals.

 

An earlier version of this story had  incorrectly stated that Samsung denied Pakistan’s offer the second time as well. The story has been corrected whereas the error is regretted.
Ghulam Abbas
Ghulam Abbas
The writer is a member of the staff at the Islamabad Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]

41 COMMENTS

  1. No surprises there.

    Samsung has priced itself out of affordability of vast majority of Pakistanis and Chinese companies having a presence in Pakistan give it tough competition. Lesser sales means lesser incentive to invest in setting up assembling facility in Pakistan.

  2. Please correct your news.. Samsung and Lucky Motor corporation have signed agreement to establish Samsung mobile assembly unit in Pakistan.
    Don’t misguide and damage the company’s repute.
    Lucky Group is Pakistan most pretentious group.

    • U dont need to kionka tumhari aukat hi china wala mobiles ha Iphone and Samsung are the best manufacturers in the world so fuck off

      • BC, TATA ki najaez aulad, tum aur tumhara PM tou kouchh saal pehle tk Tata Car meh ghomte thhay ….

  3. Allow only those companies in Pakistan who also support us in various firms or different conditions to help our Economy and who dont wana come to our land why we give them business

  4. chines mbil compnies should now uplift there device qualities like best cameras and high quality display.
    people will forget samsung then.
    by the way i got the news about lucky group and samsung agriment.

    • Teri Behan k bandy hai ham saly wo din bhol gya jab Teri behn ky sath raaty suta tha osy chuda tha koty or tujhy Pala tha tera bap behave yourself I love my country

  5. Hindustan Walo jitne zor lgana ha lga lo Pakistan se tmhari jealous ko Bhagwan hi khatam kr skta ha , Hum ne bht sabr kia laken ab ki baar ab Hindustan k tukry hongy aur woh b AMERICA AUR TMHARE BAAP K HATHON

  6. Lets propagate this news among all over pakistan and boycott Samsung we will survive without Samsung and second Why the Automobile Honda ,KiA,Toyotta not started their Export in Middle East just they need to alter the side of steering

  7. Discourage Samsung products not only individual level but also by the Government by increasing tax on samsung products

  8. Samsung has not declined to come to Pakistan.
    Please don’t misguide people for ur petty monetarial gains

  9. Agr wo agaye to yahan hr department ky DG pesay mangen gy or kam krny mei rukawat dalen gy to kon ayega bhai

  10. Businessmen khub b corroupt hy or department un sy ziada courrupt hen.agr koi kam krna bhi chahye to hum log usky liye rukawat ziada khari krty hen.es liye kbhi bhi taraqi ni ho skti hmary mulk me

  11. Hum es qamash k insan ban chuky hen.k hum me sy hr shakhs apni jaghah firaon hy.hr shaks chahta h or koshish me lga h k sirf dolat me he kamaon or sirf me he zinda rahon baqi sub mar jain hr shaks dosry ko khtm krny me koi kasar ni chorta..

  12. Imran khan Government is totally fail.Nobody wants investment in Pakistan even people of Pakistan didn’t like him

  13. Mr RazAq Dawood has clarified and said a section of press has misquoted him. Infact he said Samsung has changed its decision and agreed to invest in Pakistan which Samsung had previously denied.💚⚘🇵🇰

  14. Please keep..Comments(CIVIL)..and not use Gutter language…..we are all human Beings…and issues can be discussed…in a civil Way..anyone using untoward Language will be BLOCKED

  15. Pakistan is not a open country to foreigners as you need NOC to move every where in Pakistan why people invest in such country where they can’t move independently…. For business pakistan should adopt UAE policies

  16. If you pick a 30 years back Pak study book the exports and imports are same.we could not enlist a new item in in our export list .now it’s time to work on it and widened the list of exports.

Comments are closed.

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