KARACHI: Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has announced plans to establish a 400-acre apparel zone at Port Qasim, with its first phase projected to create more than 138,000 jobs and generate annual exports of around $2.2 billion.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced the plan after chairing a meeting on the proposed export oriented industrial cluster. The project is being developed as a public private partnership and will focus on high value apparel manufacturing, with infrastructure and utilities to be provided by the Port Qasim Authority.
The first phase will cover 250 acres, of which 35 percent will be reserved for internal roads, utilities and green areas. The commercial plan currently includes 32 industrial plots measuring five acres each, although the plot size could be reduced to between two and three acres to accommodate more investors and manufacturing units.
Artistic Milliners, a Pakistani textile and denim manufacturer, plans to establish a manufacturing unit incorporating vertical integration and green technologies. The project is intended to attract additional private sector investment and strengthen the apparel manufacturing base around the port.
The Port Qasim Authority will provide the required infrastructure and utilities. Each industrial unit is expected to have access to up to 400,000 gallons of water per day, two megawatts of on grid electricity and 23,100 pounds of industrial gas per day at a pressure of 8 pounds per square inch, enough to support requirements for 10 tonnes of steam.
Across the overall project, planned utility capacity includes 13 million gallons of water per day, 64 megawatts of electricity and 750,000 pounds of industrial gas per day.
The proposed Garments City will also feature a one window system for exporters, including streamlined export processing, specialized customs desks and dedicated transport corridors. The first phase is projected to create 138,125 jobs and generate annual exports of $2.2 billion, while the government aims to increase the average export value of garments to about $8 per piece.
