Ahmed Khan Malik

The Hub district of Balochistan contributes 90 percent to the overall industrial production of the province and is set to witness expansion in its industrial base with the setting up of new industries, reports WealthPK. Balochistan, being the largest province of Pakistan in terms of area, has a very small industrial base and that too is concentrated in Hub – a district adjacent to Karachi, the capital of Sindh and economic hub of the country. Talking to WealthPK, Khalid Khan, Associate Professor at the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, said Hub was the only industrial and financial center, producing, on average, 90 percent of the province's industrial output and generating 70 percent of tax revenue. As one of the thriving districts of Balochistan, Hub needs reorganization on modern lines that unleash its true economic potential.

To fully realize Balochistan's potential, further measures must be taken to address the challenges of low population density, logistical difficulties, and regional disparity. Despite having huge potential, Hub district has many challenges faced by the industries. Ismail Sattar, who is President of the Lasbela Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a representative body of industries in Hub, said this district had the largest organized industrial cluster in Balochistan; however, the industries there were facing logistical challenges in running businesses, bringing raw material to the factories and forwarding the finished goods to the port and the customers within the country. "The absence of a proper road connection of Hub with the port of Karachi and the rest of the country has made it impossible to timely fulfill our commitments with the local and international customers.

The production losses are causing a heavy revenue loss to the government," Ismail said. In order to create a conducive environment to attract industrial investment in the district in view of almost saturation in Karachi and its surroundings, he emphasized the development of the necessary infrastructure in the region and tapping into the mineral resources of Balochistan. Ismail suggested the establishment of a Sea Food City on the district's coastline for creating investment opportunities. He also proposed the construction of small dams and reservoirs for storage of flood water in order to raise the level of underground water to facilitate agricultural growth in the region, which is already producing fruits, vegetables, wheat, cotton, etc. This will also facilitate growth in the poultry and livestock sector, he added.

Credit: INP-WealthPk