December 14, 2016
Chairman Businessmen Panel and Pakistan Business Group Alliance of FPCCI and Former Provincial Minister Mian Zahid Hussain, Presidential Candidate Abdul Rahim Janoo, Candidate for SVP Mian Anjum Nisar for FPCCI Elections 2017 on Wednesday said rail and road infrastructure and logistics services are linked to the trade and exports.
In today’s globalized world, whether a country is able to move goods quickly, cost effectively and reliably across borders largely determines its degree of inclusion in the global market, they said.
They said that high quality logistics services improve the competitiveness of a country’s exports by reducing the cost involved in transporting goods within country.
Talking to the representatives of Air Cargo Agents Association of Pakistan (ACAAP), they said that logistics sector deserve tax breaks to attract new investment.
They noted that Pakistan produces high quality cotton, wheat, sugar, poultry, fruit and vegetables but around forty percent of the production is wasted during transportation while it fetches only 41 percent of the price in the international market due to want of proper supply chain and cold chain arrangements.
Pakistani textiles, sports goods, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and surgical instruments are in great demand but routine delay in delivery has damaged the reputation of the country which is one reason behind reduced exports and widening deficit, they added.
The business leaders said that lack of quality logistics services lay waste to all the efforts of the producers and exporters which should be taken seriously by the policymakers.
They said that government should promote logistics sector and plan a number of link roads as well as rail roads along CPEC.
