Govt invites budget proposals from plastic manufacturers

KARACHI: Finance Committee of National Assembly invited budget proposals from the stakeholders for the growth and betterment of plastic industry in Pakistan, a parliamentarian said on Saturday.

Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, member National Assembly, said the committee had invited all the stakeholders from the industry in Islamabad earlier this week to take their inputs and proposals.

“Polymer industry is very important and value-added industry of Pakistan economy,” Sheikh said at ‘PakPlas 2017- The International Exhibition of Plastic Machinery, Equipment, Raw Material and Technology’.

Pakistan Plastic Manufacturers Association (PPMA) organised the fair, which received an overwhelming response from the business community.

Sheikh said the plastic industry is not getting the required support from government as compared to other sectors, like textile industry that enjoys much better incentives.

The lawmaker said his committee has made efforts to boost plastic industry in the country. He appreciated PPMA’s efforts for sparing its time and money for the benefit of the plastics business.

On the second day of expo, Deputy Mayor Karachi Arshad Vohra and Senator Haseeb Khan also paid visits and showed their keen interest in latest technology used in plastic industry worldwide.

Vohra said 30 to 40 percent plastic is used in daily life and future will become more dependent on plastics. Plastics are projected to become the fastest growing segment all over the world, he added.

Senator Khan said the USA is earning billions of dollars from plastic industry annually, “but we earn the least in the world.”

“We should adopt concrete measures to bring plastic industry into mainstream,” he said.

The senator said in the past the country used to import raw materials from Saudi Arabia. Foreign raw material producers are invited in such exhibitions in Pakistan, which is very healthy and cost-effective for the local industry.

Patron-in-chief of PPMA Zakaria Usman said the association would arrange an expo soon in Lahore for Punjab’s industrialists.

Ehtesham Uddin, chairman of PPMA, highlighting exhibition features, said the fair is exhibited at two halls: one is for raw material producers from Middle East, France, China, Oman and Taiwan, while the second hall is dedicated for machinery manufacturers from Korea, China, Malaysia and Taiwan.