LAHORE: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector should be treated as a major industry and given all necessary facilities, demanded LPG Association of Pakistan (LPGAP) here Tuesday.
LPGAP Chairman Farooq Iftikhar, chairing a meeting here, said the LPG was playing a supportive role by providing cost-effective and environment-friendly fuel to middle and lower classes of consumers and bringing huge revenue for the government and providing employment to millions.
Association members and stakeholders, present in the meeting, said that the LPG sector of Pakistan was playing an important role in economy by providing affordable and environment-friendly fuel to consumers.
Farooq Iftikhar said that the use of LPG had reduced air pollution by 90 per cent in comparison to traditionally burnt biomass, adding that if LPG was promoted as fuel, it would reduce the consumption of fossil fuel, coal and wood etc. as LPG stoves quickly supply heat and work more efficiently than stoves which burn biomass.
He said that presently 1.2 million metric tonnes of LPG was consumed in the country annually by over 10 million households, commercial units and small industries. He suggested that huge investment had been made in LPG sector of Pakistan which should be protected with favorable policies.
He mentioned that upstream and downstream sector of LPG industry employ more than 150,000 workers and contributes more than Rs 132 billion to GDP, besides massively contributing to national exchequer by paying over Rs 35 billion in taxes (Sales, Income, Turnover, withholding excise and duties) annually.
