Potential markets: enhanced connectivity vital to transport, carry industrial surplus

Enhanced and reliable connectivity is imperative to transport and carry industrial surplus to the potential markets within and outside the country, said Engineer Ahmed Hassan Vice President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI). He was talking to a team of researchers belonging to the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDEC) and Asian Development Bank (ABD). They were on a study tour to assess the possible economic impacts of Motorway M-4 on the overall economy of Faisalabad region.
Engineer Ahmed Hassan said that Faisalabad is strategically located within the heart of Pakistan. "We are well connected through a reliable road network from north to south and from east to west," he said and added that Faisalabad also have reliable network of speedy roads. He told that these road are sufficient to take the exportable surplus of this industrial hub to Karachi and other sea ports for its onward shipment to the international markets.
Responding to the question of the researchers, Engineer Ahmed Hassan said that the major impediment in the economic growth is high cost of doing business coupled with industrial inefficiency.
He said that we must contain our population which has increased burden on the urban centres. He said that we must take immediate measures to popularize and make agriculture profitable profession in order to convince farming community to stay in rural areas instead of migrating to the urban centres. He said that demographically Faisalabad is dominated by the mill owners and workers. Due to the feverish economic activities, the middle class is growing at a much faster pace which is deemed imperative to achieve the projected 8% GDP growth of Faisalabad within the next 5 to 10 years.
He said that the infrastructure in Faisalabad is now fully developed. "Similarly the energy crisis is also over specifically for the industrial sector, he said and added that government was also taking necessary measures to facilitate the business community by ensuring necessary incentives and capital for the establishment of new small and medium units in the area. Commenting on the high cost of doing business he said that the major cause of this sector is inefficiency of existing industrial units that are still using obsolete technology.
He said that he was visiting China regularly to identify the serious investors who could launch joint ventures in collaboration with Pakistani partners. He welcomed the study conducted by the PIDE and assured that he will provide them the written answers of the questionnaire provided by them. The researcher also asked many interesting and informative questions which were immediately responded by the vice president.