KARACHI: Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Monday announced his ministry’s plans to establish a 400-acre apparel zone at Karachi’s Port Qasim, saying that its first phase was expected to create over 138,000 jobs and generate annual exports of around $2.2 billion.
The minister was chairing a meeting on the proposed project at Port Qasim, one of the country’s largest seaports. Port Qasim says on its website that it has the largest industrial zone of Pakistan, spread over 15474 acres, and has more than 400 industrial and commercial units in operation. Port Qasim says it is one of the largest contributors to Pakistan’s national economy, handling 51 percent of the country’s sea trade.
Pakistan’s maritime affairs ministry said in a statement that the first phase of the garment city project would cover 250 acres, with 35 percent allocated for internal roads, utilities and green areas. The project is envisaged as a public-private partnership, with the minister adding that the manufacturing cluster would focus on high-value apparel production and attract private investment.
“Projections presented at the meeting put first-phase employment at 138,125 jobs and annual exports at $2.2 billion,” the ministry said. “The project also aims to raise the average export value of garments to around $8 per piece.”
Chaudhry said the proposed commercial structure comprises 32 industrial plots of five acres each, adding that the plot size could be reduced to two or three acres to accommodate more investors and manufacturing units.
The Port Qasim Authority (PQA) would provide infrastructure and utilities, the ministry said, with each industrial unit having access to up to 400,000 gallons of water a day, two megawatts of on-grid electricity and 23,100 pounds of industrial gas a day
Chaudhry said the private sector’s participation would be a key component of the apparel project.
“Under the plan, a Pakistani textile and denim manufacturing company, Artistic Milliners, would establish a manufacturing unit with an investment of more than $18 million, incorporating vertical integration and green technologies,” he added.
He said the project would also have a one-window mechanism for exporters, including streamlined export processing, specialized customs desks and dedicated transport corridors.
Chaudhry said the initiative was part of efforts to expand Pakistan’s industrial base and export capacity, with port infrastructure, utilities, customs facilities and private investment integrated into the proposed apparel zone.
