ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) on Friday unveiled the National Priority Sectors Export Strategy (NPSES) for Pakistan to achieve the country’s ambition of growing its trade.
The comprehensive strategy was launched by the Federal Minister for Commerce, Syed Naveed Qamar.
The NPSES addresses constraints and specific steps to avail concrete opportunities in a comprehensive manner and are an integral part of Pakistan’s Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF). It provides Pakistan with a set of sectoral and functional strategies, each specifying priorities and actions to improve trade performance.
Five-year (2023-2027) sector strategies developed under the NPSES are the result of an extensive consultative process between public and private-sector stakeholders. Implementing these strategies would mean strengthening and diversifying Pakistan’s economy, more jobs, higher investment opportunities, and improved competitiveness of exports.
It may be noted that the International Trade Centre (ITC) worked with the government of Pakistan with financial support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK government through the revenue mobilisation, investment and trade programme (ReMIT) to support the development of the Strategy.
Priority sectors and functions in the strategy include engineering goods, leather, processed food and beverages, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, pharmaceuticals, software development and services, business process outsourcing, logistics and institutional coordination.
To continue keeping the private sector in the driving seat for the implementation process, the National Export Development Board, sector advisory councils, as well as a STPF coordination unit are being set up.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister Syed Naveed Qamar said the government had taken a series of initiatives to promote exports to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth, poverty reduction and improvement in the living standard of the people of Pakistan.
He said the strategy is in line with government objectives and policies and promised to work with all stakeholders to use the opportunities that the NPSES provides in creating jobs and new opportunities for Pakistan.
Andrew Dalgleish British Acting High Commissioner said that the FCDO was proud to support programmes like ReMIT that focus on supporting Pakistan to strengthen institutional capacity for trade policy formulation and to address trade barriers.
It is pertinent to mention here that through development of Pakistan’s National Priority Sectors Export Strategy and capacity building of the Ministry of Commerce, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Trade Development Authority (TDAP), the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC), and business associations and groups, the programme will support formulation and reform of trade policies, including addressing some of the main barriers to trade. These efforts will reflect public-private consensus.
The project will also build business associations’ capacity for advocacy, including women entrepreneurs.
Why do need such an extravagant event to start something so basic. Even before things work, they are organising such pompous events. This is not Showbiz.
No matter the mnaufacturing efficiency of Pakistan,it cannot ever really compete,in large scale exports,as there will never be economies of scale,due to lack of low cost power and gas- especially,as many Pakistani plantsuse gas,as a feedstock
then there is the cost of capital,FX risk,Banking constraints,and fuel cost of logistics.
THIS ALSO PLAGUES TEXTILES- and that is Y PAKISTANIS EXCEL IN GARMENTS,IN AFRICA – AS IN PAKISTAN THEY OPTIMISE WITHIN CONSTRAINTS, AND IN AFRICA,THEY MAXIMISE PROFITS,ON THE BACK OF LOW COST AND PLENTIFUL POWER AND GAS
THE ONLY SECTOR WHOSE COMPETITIVNESSS RISES,IN BAD FX,ENERGY SHOCK AND WAR – FOR PAKISTAN = AGRI EXPORTS,AND NOW,PAKISTAN HAS TO FOCUS ON THIS SECTOR
THIS IS THE FUTURE FOR PAKISTAN
PAKISTAN HAS HAD UNPRECEDENTED MONSOONS ! ALLAH HAS SENT THE SIGNAL,AND RECHARGED THE RESERVOIRS,WATER TABLES AND THE IWB AND THE UNDERGROUND SARASWATI ! WATER MEANS NO NEED OF POWER FOR AGRI – ONLY GAS,IN THE FORM OF UREA (AND THAT GAS AND UREA,IS IN AMPLE SUPPLY!
AGRI EXPORTS = EXPORT OF WATER + CO2+LABOUR (AND ALL R FREE,AS FARMLABOUR HAS NO ALT- OPTION)
TEXTILE EXPORTS = EXPORT OF LBOUR+ POWER + GAS + DIESEL(AND NOTHING IS FREE AND MOST INPUTS ARE IMPORTED
WHENEVER THERE IS WAR – THERE IS AN OIL/ENERGY AND LOGISTICS SHOCK,WHICH PUSHES UP RATES OF OIL,GAS,UREA,AGRI AND FREIGHT AND HAMMERS THE LDC FX (LIKE PKR)
ALL THIS BENEFITS PAKISTANI AGRI AND AGRI EXPORTS. IT IS THE PERFECT HEDGE,TO A FX/ENERGY SHOCK FOR PAKISTAN (AND THESE SHOCKS WILL KEEP COMING)
PAKISTANI STEEL AND CEMENT EXPORTERS,WHO CANNOT EXPORT STEEL AND CEMENT- CAN BE GIVEN FISCAL INCENTIVES TO START MERCHANT TRADING HOUSES(AS STEP-DOWN SUBSIDIARIES),TO AT LEAST,EXPORT AGRI COMMOOITIES EQUAL TO,THE IMPORTS OF STEEL SCRAP,FERRO ALLOYS,HR COILS AND COAL
CEMENT AND COAL R BREAK BULK ITEMS,LIKE MOST AGRI EXPORTS- AND SO,THESE STEEL AND CEMENT MANAGERS,CAN AD D MANAGEMENT EXPERTISE,IN FX,TRADING,SHIP CHARTERING AND RISK MANAGEMENT- AND ALL TRADES,WILL BE ON A BACK TO BACK BASIS – SO THERE IS “NOAGRIPRICE RISK”
THE CONSOLIDATED GROUP,WHICH IS NFE POSITIVE (WITH THE STEP DOWN SUBSIDIARY),CAN THEN,BE GIVEN SOME DIRECT TAX SOPS,FOR CONSOLIDATED PROFITS
SO THE SOLUTION = GREEN HOUSE FARMING + HYDROPONICS+ RE POWER + USING THE FREE CO2 OF INDUSTRY + MANUFACTURING CO2 (FROM RE POWER),TO BE PUMPED INTO THE GREEN HOUSE +THE PLANTS!
AND THIS IS WHERE THE PAKISTAN INDUSTRY,COMES IN (WITH THE MONEY + FREE CO2)- AS IT IS AN OFFSET,TO STEEL,CEMENT,OIL,GAS,COAL,AND FX RISK
AND SO DOES,PRC AND CPEC VIA, AGRI ECONOMIC ZONES!
THE SAME MODEL CAN BE USED IN AFGHANISTAN !THIS WILL ALSO END,ALL INSURGENCIES AND STRIFE (FUNDED BY RAW)! AND ONCE,WATER REACHES BALOCHISTAN,THEN HYDROPONICS WILL BECOME OBSOLETE !
PAKISTAN IS AT THE CUSP,OF A QUANTUM LEAP !
AGRI IS THE NEW OIL !AND WITH AGRI,COMES ANIMAL HUSBANDRY – AND THE DESERTS,OF WEST ASIA,AND NORTH AFRICA,ARE THE MARKET (NEXT DOOR!COULD ALLAH HAVE GIVEN MORE ?)