President Tribal Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry (TACCI), Haji Ghulam Ali Tuesday called for promotion of trade and industry in tribal areas to eliminate poverty, unemployment, poppy cultivation and lawlessness from the tribal belt of the country. Speaking in Peshawar Press Club (PPC), he said investment was a good way to develop the backward tribal area.
He suggested 20 percent concession in custom duty for the industrial units situated in FATA and PATA (Provincially Administered Tribal Areas) in order to put an end to the growing menace of smuggling.
The Government, he said could withdraw the facility of 20percent concession gradually over a period of five years by slashing percentage in phase manner every year. He said industrial units in FATA and PATA needed concessions in Central Excise Duty, Income Tax and Sales Tax so that they could compete with their adversaries in the settled parts of the country.
SCCI chief urged consistency in the economic policies and said that every policy announced by the government should at least stay for ten-year period as frequent changes in the policies disrupt the process on development.
For eradication of poppy cultivation, establishment of public order and promotion of industrialisation the government should concentrate on industrial development of the tribal areas.
He suggested that government should accord same respect and honour to the local investors as being given to the foreigners. He elaborated that local investors would spend their earning in the country whereas the MNCs would shift it abroad.
He demanded of the federal government to take revolutionary steps in the coming national budget for the development of industrial sector in FATA and PATA. He told newsmen that during a pre-budget seminar arranged under the auspices of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) the speakers had called for giving some relief to the industrial units in tribal belts because of certain ground realities. Ghulam Ali said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had also been convinced that industrialisation was the only means available for controlling poppy cultivation at the tribal belt.
President TACCI said that despite being in nascent stage, the tribal chamber secured six seats out of 11 in the recently held FPCCI's elections that also included the post of SVP FPCCI.
He clarified that his chamber did not want to indulge in any tussle with the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and instead suggested that all the six chamber of the frontier province should sit together and evolve a joint policy for the industrial development of the province.
Ghulam Ali said FATA and PATA were rich in marble deposits but due to lack of machinery and expertise, 75percent of the raw material was wasted while of the 25 percent material one percent was not worth the export quality. He said, there were more than 300 marble units in tribal areas for which he demanded loan on soft terms from the commercial banks.
He said industrial sector at the tribal belt had provided employment to over 13000 local labourers.
To a question, he said textile ghee, cosmetics, tyre, marble and plastic industries had bright prospects in the tribal belt.
Moreover he demanded loan on 4 percent mark up for tribal industrialists.
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