Environment changes: immediate remedial steps to be taken at appropriate forums: FCCI chief

President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), Engineer Muhammad Saeed Sheikh while talking to a delegation of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in his office on Wednesday said that everyone is fully aware of the fast changing environment changes and immediate remedial measures are to be taken at appropriate forums.
He said that industrialists keep an eye on the availability of raw material which could be easily managed from any part of the world. "It only pinches them when the prices are soared due to its shortage in the markets", he said and added that Pakistan had harvested a bumper cotton crop of 14 million bales just few years ago but due to the climatic changes coupled with other policy related issues it has now declined to 10 million bales.
He further said that due to deteriorating law and order situation, energy crisis and ad hoc policies more than 20 major export oriented units in Faisalabad have been closed down which rendered hundreds of workers jobless in addition to depriving Pakistan of at least 1.5 billion dollars of foreign exchange.
He said that Faisalabad has Agriculture University and other important research institutes which are constantly working on climate change. "The scientists are engaged in evolving new heat tolerant varieties which could yield maximum yield with less irrigation", he added. Continuing, Engineer Muhammad Saeed Sheikh said that the global melt down has resulted in steep decline in foreign remittances and exports.
In this changed scenario, the textile sector is the only available panacea which could not only generate much needed revenue but also provided jobs to the millions of workers.
He said that in first phase the government should revive the sick units which have capacity to earn additional US 1.5 billion dollar foreign exchange. He also welcomed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor but said that government should negotiate with Chinese investors to launch joint ventures with Pakistani industrialists.
"It will not only help upgradation of existing units but also provide an opportunity to the Chinese investors to earn reasonable profit from their investment. Samavia Batool, research analyst and Dr Fahad Saeed, research fellow of SDPI discussed various issues relating to environmental changes with FCCI chief and Vice President Engineer Ahmad Hassan.