June 17, 2006	Saturday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 20, 1427

KARACHI, June 16: The Commerce Ministry is conducting a study on creation/improvement of cargo handling facilities at airports as part of the National Trade Corridor Implementation Programme approved by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.Syed Irtiqa Ahmed Zaidi, national consultant to commerce ministry, stated this during a meeting with FPCCI vice-president Akbar Abdullah on Friday at the Federation House.

He said that the prime minister had set up a task force, headed by Planning Commission deputy chairman, for improvement of the National Trade Corridor. Under the programme five committees for preparing development plans in communications, ports and shipping, railways, trade facilitation and air cargo sectors had been set up.

The ministry intended to make projections of the requirements of air cargo handling facilities required at all the airports during the next 10 years in order to facilitate quick transportation of commercial goods, he said.

The study would cover assessment of major cargo generation industries, existing capacity and potential of import and export markets, arrangements for carriage of air cargo, development of airports to boost air trade, air cargo handling facilities and requirement for handling of air cargo including perishable cargo in next 10 years.

He asked the FPCCI to

provide necessary input for

the study. He said that for the purpose of collecting requisite data he would also be interacting with exporters and their trade bodies, and government departments Ministry of Defence, Civil Aviation Authority, PIA, CBR, Statistics Division, NLC, EPB etc.