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Thursday March 28, 2024

CM blames ‘defective policies’ for urea, wheat and sugar shortages

By Our Correspondent
December 29, 2021
CM blames ‘defective policies’ for urea, wheat and sugar shortages

Sindh’s chief minister on Tuesday said Bangladesh’s exports have reached $40 billion (approx. Rs7.12 trillion), but Pakistan’s are stuck at only $25 billion (approx. Rs4.45 trillion) because our policies are not business-friendly.

“I’ll form a working group with industrialists so that their problems can be solved with their consultation,” said Syed Murad Ali Shah while addressing members of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and other leading businessmen during a reception he held for them at the CM House.

Around 180 leading industrialists, including SM Muneer, Dr Ikhtiar Baig, Zubair Tufail, Khalid Tawab, Dr Noman Idrees Butt, Hanif Gohar, Ishtiaq Baig and Zahid Iqbal Chaudhry, attended the event.

The CM said Pakistan used to export urea, but today the country was facing its acute shortage, which would badly affect our rabi crops. “I’m surprised that we’re facing shortages of gas, wheat and sugar that we were exporting,” he lamented, and concluded that it was the result of our defective policies.

Shah said industrialists and other business community members are the backbone of the country. “Your contributions to the national economy has proved to be an accelerator to run the country.”

The chief executive added that he would notify a working group of businessmen with him at the CM House to discuss and resolve their issues with mutual consultation.

He said he has directed the industries minister and the revenue minister to start removing encroachments, if any, from the industrial areas of the province.

“We’ll discuss in our cabinet meeting the issue of exploring ways and means to reduce the prices of the industrial plots being developed in the new industrial zones,” he said, adding that his government would resolve the issues of water, gas and electricity in the industrial areas.

Shah urged the businessmen to establish export-oriented industrial units so that national exports can be increased. “We have to invest in the food processing industry, the automotive industry, the software industry, the pharmaceutical industry and other such export-oriented goods.”

The chief executive extended his good wishes to all the contestants of the upcoming elections of the FPCCI. “I’m sure Sindh will lead the FPCCI.”

Earlier, leading industrialist SM Muneer thanked the CM for his business-friendly policies and approach. He also lauded Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for meeting the members of the business community and expressing his wish to resolve their issues.