July 25, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 28, 1427

QUETTA, July, 24: Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) is providing technical know-how and guidance to investors for exploiting the investment opportunities offered by the mineral-rich Balochistan.

Smeda Regional Chief Bakhtiar Khan while speaking at a press briefing here on Monday said that the authority was working with public and private sector organisations to undertake massive development projects in various sectors of the provincial economy.

He said that minerals, agriculture and horticulture, fisheries and livestock were some of the major sectors which had great investment potential.

He said that the province was rich in minerals and there were vast prospects for the investors in that sector while the government was striving to create investment-friendly atmosphere.

He said that mostly investors did not have expertise about the sector in which they were planning to initiate a project. “Smeda prepares feasibility of the project and then offer them technical assistance and basic know-how which makes their investment fruitful,” he added.He said with the assistance of Smeda an association of chromite mine owners had been formed in Khanozai and proposals had been submitted to the government to formalise the leases of chromite mines to pave the way for foreign investment to the industry.

He said that most of precious stones had been wasted through blasting and non-availability of latest equipment. He said that a PC-I had been submitted to the government proposing for setting up a technical training centre for mineral and granite handicraft in Gaddani Marble City and a technical training centre in Quetta.

He said that a plan was under way to set up a centre for polishing and cutting gems at Women University Quetta.

He said that an MoU had already been signed between Smeda and Italian firm for the establishment of quarry school in the province. He further said that the European Union was assisting in mineral and granite cluster mapping and data collection for the investors. “Smeda has provided technical assistance to Army Welfare Trust in setting up a cement factory in the province.”

Shortage of water, he said, was biggest problem for the agriculture sector and plans were being made to convince the farmers to adopt micro agriculture for the rational use of underground water, which was the only source for agriculture in the province.

He said that the total annual production of dates of Balochistan was estimated at 2.34 tons and a date processing plant was being set up in Panjgur while a cold storage would be established at Chaman and an apple treatment plant in Quetta.

About the fisheries, Mr Bakhtiar said that shrimp policy had been formulated while plan was underway for the setting up shrimp model farms.