The government is paying special attention to the promotion of production, investment, productivity, industrial competitiveness and exports under the National Industrial Policy. He added, Pakistan will have to move beyond the export of raw materials and make rapid progress towards the export of finished and value-added products so that the value of Pakistani products in the global market and the country’s export share can be increased.

The Prime Minister’s Advisor said that Made in Pakistan has made its place in the world, now there is a need to further expand this place and give Pakistani products a stronger identity in the global markets. Pakistan needs to produce more, produce better quality and sell more products to the world, so the country’s economic direction should be towards production, exports and sustainable growth led by the private sector. Haroon Akhtar Khan said that the basis of the national industrial policy is being laid on production, investment, productivity and exports. The government is taking steps to create a conducive environment for the industrial sector that will enable increased investment, establishment of new industries, expansion of existing industrial units, new employment opportunities and increase in domestic production. He said that the job of the government is not to do business but to provide an environment in which entrepreneurs can establish and expand successful businesses by utilizing their skills, capital and experience. He said that the government is taking steps to remove regulatory barriers, simplify business activities and eliminate unnecessary procedures so that industrialists get an opportunity to focus on investment, production, innovation, exports and employment generation instead of wasting time on permits, complex rules and regulations and unnecessary administrative steps.

The Prime Minister’s Advisor said that industrialists need a policy and business environment where decisions are timely and there are no unnecessary obstacles in the investment process. Instead of permits and complicated procedures, business people should focus on investment, innovation, development of new products, increasing productivity and accessing global markets. He said that the government is in constant touch with the industry and business community to solve their problems so that the obstacles to industrial development can be removed.

Haroon Akhtar Khan said that Pakistan’s textile industry will have to make quality, modern technology, design, sustainability, innovation and timely delivery part of its competitive strategy instead of competing in the global market only on the basis of low cost. The preferences of buyers around the world are changing and now price alone is no longer the deciding factor, but quality, sustainability, product traceability, innovative design, environmental requirements and speed of delivery have also become important factors in global trade. He said that Pakistan has a complete and integrated textile ecosystem that includes various sectors from cotton production to yarn, fabric, processing, ready-made garments and other products, however, the real challenge is to create more value from this existing system and adapt it to modern requirements. The productivity and global competitiveness of the textile industry can be significantly increased by investing in modern machinery, technology, skilled manpower, research and development and industrial training. He said that the Pakistani textile industry will have to focus more on exports of finished and value-added products instead of exporting raw materials.