Fisheries
Following on the research efforts of EFP Economic Council on the Fisheries Sector of Pakistan, it is agreed to form a working committee to further work to develop the sector. In the committee, the current challenges plaguing the sector as well as possible future projects are to be discussed in great length.
There are several directions which the committee is planning to take, this includes projects on Marine Aquaculture, Freshwater Aquaculture, Export Processing, Investment in cold storage, and Supply Chain etc.
Minerals to Chemicals
Employers Federation of Pakistan has taken an initiative to process the mineral resources in Pakistan into value added chemicals to counteract the economic crises of the country through the export of such processed products.
In this regard we have developed a Minerals to Chemicals Committee which is assigned to perform tasks related to geological surveying, identifying mineral potential, conducting research on mineral dressing methods and practically work on the refining process.
Our first task is to upgrade low concentration Fluorspar to acid grade which is widely used in acid making industries, CFC’s manufacturing, and glass and ceramic industries. Furthermore, the metallurgical grade is widely used in iron and steel industry. This initiative will not only contribute to greater GDP but will also act as a starting point to develop more industries in Pakistan which will reduce the burden on our imports and hence lead to a stronger more versatile economy of the country.
Tourism & Hospitality
With the right policies in place, the domestic tourism sector of Pakistan carries great potential to create mass employment through rigorous entrepreneurial setups and capacity building all of which can add billions of dollars into the national treasury.
The EFP Economic, in collaboration with The Lakeshore Hospitality Group, has taken a first initiative to assist the current Government of Pakistan in materialising its vision to develop and promote tourism as one of the key drivers of economic growth of the country.
For this purpose, the council has created a working committee that will deliberate on the numerous opportunities of investment and strategize the harmonious resolution of capacity building and other infrastructural and health related issues faced by the tourism sector. The committee
will devise a comprehensive report that will cater the growing need for provision of better hospitality services to harness the true potential of this industry.
In the report, EFP Economic Council shall present, through robust on-ground research findings and information gathered by associated dignitaries representing telecommunications, transport, logistics, hotelling, travel consultancies, capacity training, ministries, etc., the many prospective sites/locations worthy of brownfield investment and exciting profiling of domestic tourists and pictographic display of hidden cultures, stories and cuisines to achieve the desired growth objectives.
IPPs and their Role in the Energy Crisis of Pakistan
Pakistan is a country that is blessed with innumerable resources and bright minds who are capable of presenting innovative ideas to longstanding disputes, like the crisis of energy, in Pakistan. However, the negligence of past governments, and their vague contractual agreements with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), have cost the nation dearly.
We applaud the efforts of the incumbent Government, in trying its best to dodge the countless mines planted by previous regimes and to renegotiate the power purchase terms with IPPs. It is also good to realize that the Administration has decided to cut gas to inefficient and idle Captive Power Producers (CPPs), whose transparency in supplying surplus electricity to the national grid and in fulfilling their capacity payment agreements with the Government are questionable.
It is time that all these power producers undergo forensic auditing in the larger interest of Pakistan, so that money can be recovered and redirected to address the growing woes of the destitute masses.
Power and gas tariffs, especially for the export sector, should be equivalent to the average of the region, and pragmatic reforms must be brought about within distribution companies (DISCOs) to reduce the cost of doing business amid inflating prices and a weakening Rupee.
The idea of the Electricity Market is important but not new. We firmly believe that it can create an alternate source of funding through the rentier class, which can then be spent on upgrading the transmission and distribution system of Pakistan.