Pakistan to focus on engineering sector for import substitution!

Abdul Razak Dawood, the Advisor to the Prime Minister has said that pursue the policy of ‘Make in Pakistan’ diligently is the need of the hour, and moving towards industrialization is a must for substituting the imports and enhancing our exports.
Meeting with a joint delegation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry at Ministry of Commerce Dawood said the government was focusing the engineering industry for boosting exports.
The moot was attended by the representatives of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Multan, and Mirpur chambers.
Dawood believed tariffs needed to be rationalized to achieve the objectives of ‘Make in Pakistan’ saying that due to COVID-19 situation and to address its impact on the economy, some of the sectors have not been considered for the tariff rationalization, while some important sectors have been given benefits.
He reiterated that the anomalies arising out of the budget have been addressed to a large extent while others will be resolved in consultation with the stakeholders.
Talking about the government’s plans, the Advisor told the delegation that the Government is following a three-year plan, gradually removing duties and tariffs, particularly on raw materials for the industry.
He added that the Government will put a special focus on engineering sector to boost the exports, including power sector equipment, the auto industry (auto parts, Two-wheelers, Three wheelers, and tractors), home appliances, mobile phones, sanitary ceramics ware, utensils & cutlery, and pumps & motors.
Mr. Dawood assured that the Government has taken important policy decisions in this regard and the engineering sector exports would considerably improve in the Fiscal Year 2020-21.
Discussing different opportunities for the production of value-added products and their export, the Advisor underlined the importance of investing in certifications and laboratories, particularly for exploiting the potential in the food processing sector.
The Advisor also informed that the Ministry is resolving issues of the exporters on priority particularly for the export of Personal Protective Equipment.
He reassured that export of all items, i.e. hand sanitizer, disposable gowns and gloves, face shields, biohazard bags, goggles and shoe covers made from various classes of materials, including woven and non-woven chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), Polypropylene (PP), spun bond and melt blown except N-95 masks, surgical masks, and Tyvek suits.
He reaffirmed that the Ministry is cognizant of the problems which are being discussed at the appropriate forums with the relevant stakeholders for early resolution