PESHAWAR, Jan 24: Manufacturing sector in NWFP underwent substantial expansion in the 1990s after the province received over Rs48bn investment in the last decade of the last century, according to official sources.

Major capital investment was made in the textile apparel and leather sector, which received over Rs17.7bn investment making 36.5 per cent of the total investment in the 1990s.

According to official sources, 17 units of textile apparel and leather were established in NWFP during the 1990s.

Mineral sector ended up with the second largest investment involving the establishment of some 179 units at a collective cost of over Rs15.3bn making over 31 per cent of the total investment made in the province during the last decade.

Over Rs5bn was invested in the metal production sector making some 10 per cent of the total investment made during the 1990s and some 124 units were set up in different parts of the province.

Apart from these sectors, considerable amount of investments were also made in the sectors of food, beverages, tobacco, wood and products, paper and its products, chemical, rubber and plastic manufacturing units.

A total of 987 units - majority in food/beverages and tobacco sectors - were set up involving a total capital investment of over Rs48bn, which makes 80 per cent of the Rs61bn investment this province received since the creation of Pakistan.

According to official data, compiled in a recently conducted study, in 1947 NWFP had a total of 11 industrial units involving a total investment of Rs81m and including six food/beverages and tobacco processing units, one each unit of paper and metal and metal products manufacturing units.

Province recorded over Rs1.8bn investment in the period from 1947 to 1960 when, in all, 35 industrial units, mostly in food and tobacco processing sector, were set up.

The units, set up during this period, included high-grade board and paper mills, caustic soda and DDT plants at Nowshera, sugar mills at Charsadda, woollen mills at Bannu and telephone factory at Haripur.

Over Rs2bn was invested during the 1961-70 period when a total of 107 units were set up in the whole of NWFP including 24 units of food and beverages. This was the period when first major investment was made in the mineral sector, and a cement manufacturing unit was set up at Haripur.

In the 1980s the province received over Rs6bn investment making over 10 per cent of the total Rs61bn investment made since 1947.