10 March 2005	Thursday	28 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, March 9: The chairman, Chief Minister's Investment Cell (CMIC), Dr G A Khan on Wednesday assured to make industrial plots available at fixed rates provided industrialists give undertaking that it would only be used for setting up of industries within specific time-frame and not for speculation and resale.

In a meeting with delegations of the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) and the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) Dr G A Khan categorically told the participants that the provincial government means business and wants rapid industrialization in the Sindh.

He said industrial lands would be given at fixed and below market rates to only those who would commit to set up industries within a time-frame and will also submit feasibility report along with undertaking that it would be used for industry and no other purpose.

It will also be mandatory for the applicant for such piece of land to ensure that the land would not be used for speculation, resale or transfer for monetary gains. He said that the Sindh Bank will also cater to micro and SMEs funding to generate maximum job opportunities in the province.

President Unisame Zulfikar Thaver presented a proposal and a list of requirements of SMEs which included besides finance at affordable mark up, land at concessional rates with complete infrastructure and in house technical skill development centres.

He requested the chairman CMIC to focus on agro-based industries and said that Unisame received applications from 50 SMEs with feasibilities for viable industries such as spices, henna, jam jellies, marmalade, pickles, dates, sugar-cubes and syrups, pulps, dehydration of vegetable and fruits, synthetic meat from soybean and others.

Vice Chairman REAP Anwar Mian Noor gave a detailed account of the rice sector and how it can be promoted. He said Sindh is now growing Basmati, super basmati and non basmati varieties and several leading rice mills and processing factories are located in Sindh.

He said that rice processors and millers are planning to set up parboiling plants along the super highway so that paddy coming from Sindh can be parboiled and also milled and processed for export.

Anwar Mian Noor assured the chairman CMIC that 50 factories would be set up within a short span of time if the investors are given suitable land on the outskirts of the cities like Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur. He also invited Dr G A Khan to REAP House for receiving letter of intents of investors.