ISLAMABAD: The government has directed the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) to enhance storage capacity and provide other facilities to cement and clinker exporters who are facing problems in exporting their products through Karachi Port.
A high-level meeting was held here on Tuesday with Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM), in the chair. The meeting discussed and reviewed the progress made by the task force constituted by the Prime Minister to enhance cement and clinker exports. The meeting was briefed by the Chairman of Port Qasim Authority and officials of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT).
The participants of the meeting recommended that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should take up the above-mentioned issues through diplomatic channels. The task force has unanimously approved the following recommendations for the consideration of the Prime Minister of Pakistan: (i) the development and construction of two additional multi-purpose berths at Port Qasim be expedited on an emergency basis to increase the port’s export capacity. (ii) Building of additional storage capacity of 30,000 tons to facilitate exports. (iii) Permanent repairing to the existing storage facility at Port Qasimis to be completed within five months. (iv) Royalty at 2.38 per ton for cement and clinker exports from PIBTL be waived through stakeholders’ engagement. (v) KPT to review tariff charges on export shipments to be competitive with PQA and with regional ports. (vi) SBP to coordinate a meeting with Pakistani Banks operating in Bangladesh regarding LC facilitations and share the minutes with the task force. (vii) KGTML may not increase handling charges for cement and clinker export, subject to the provision of the volume of business assurance from the cement industry.
The Chairman of Port Qasim Authority informed that a proposal has already been submitted to the PQA Board for approval of 30,000 metric tons of additional storage capacity. He also assured that the repair of existing storage facilities will be completed by December 2025. The Chairman of KPT apprised that berths numbered 10 to 17 will be completed by April 2026.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister’s Coordinator Rana Ehsan Afzal, Arif Habib, representatives of Port Qasim Authority, Karachi Port Trust (KPT), State Bank of Pakistan, Board of Investment, Gwadar Port Authority, and senior government officials.
Earlier, Arif Habib raised concerns over the matters related to high taxation, port inefficiencies, inadequate logistics, and the impact of anti-dumping duties. Responding to the concern, the officials of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) clarified that no prior approval was needed for CNF transactions, while Board of Investment (BoI) and Ministry of Industries stakeholders were directed to devise a proposal for dedicated export processing zones. Trade restrictions, especially the cement export ban to India and non-tariff barriers from Sri-Lanka, were also identified as serious problems in enhancing the exports.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
