KARACHI: Founder Chairman of the Salt Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SMAP) Ismail Suttar has welcomed the chief minister of Punjab’s Pink Salt Value Addition Financing Scheme, describing it as a landmark and forward-looking initiative for Pakistan’s mineral sector that could transform the country’s pink salt industry into a globally recognized value-added export brand.
Ismail Suttar said the scheme would not only promote value-added exports, attract investment and create employment opportunities, but it would also significantly enhance Pakistan’s ability to earn foreign exchange by exporting finished products instead of raw pink salt.
He urged the federal government and other provincial governments to introduce similar incentive-based financing programmes for the minerals, value-addition and export sectors to unlock the country’s untapped export potential and strengthen the national economy.
He noted that the Punjab government’s decision to offer zero-markup financing of up to Rs50 million would enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to invest in modern processing, value addition, packaging and internationally compliant manufacturing facilities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026