Good luck.

How do we reduce imports without penalizing people?

Talking about calendar year? How the exports and what products will be exported? Can any one share the plan? Is this another tall claim without any homework? May be Razake Dawood want to divert attention of public from the scandal of Mohmand dam.

Quality and honesty play a big role in increasing export

I Hope that you succeed in achieving this task, sir.

Just to remind Mr Advisor, six months of current fiscal year have already passed and there is negligible increase in exports, as compared to same period last year.

Mr. Dawood is from business community. His statement shows he understands the problems facing our economy and seems to be very confident to turn the economy around. IK is lucky to have such people around him. Let us wish Mr. Dawood success in his endeavors.

What will Pakistan export and stop importing, give some analysis?

Simple develop Industrial zones near big cities with complete infrastructures and sell them to genuine industrialists.Please advertise now,so that when it is ready in one year,industrialists are ready to invest and limit them for two years to go into production.No nepotism and only merit. Present Industrial áreas are all now comercial and not feasible for Industries due to price hike.

Can you please list the items he is talking about ??? Your article only says Mr.Dawood eyes record export in 20019 ... Of what ?

Too little too late.

Let’s see. How factual this is or might be yet another tall claim as per habit of PTI men.

The only record PTI has been able to set is in taking U-turns.

@Saad, Its never too late to do the right thing. We suffer for it, sure, but its never too late to work for a better future. Not for us, but the future generations.

We have high hopes from Mr Razzak Dawood ,wish him all the best

Is this Razzak Dawood the famous industrialist of Dawood textiles? If that be the case, his vision and strategy can bear fruit he sees in the exports of the country

@Saad, Say something new

@Saad, How much more did you expect in 4-5 months?

WELL DONE

In middle east lots of Retail supermarket like Lulu,Cityflowers,Centre point selling Indian goods earning foreign exchange Pakistani business especially Imtiaz should be encouraged to open retail super market in gulf and Saudi Arabia

Never late. Fix the problem and move forward. All the best. Be positive. Never be despair.

@Saad, something is better than nothing.

Exports factors: 1. Textiles 2. Granites 3. Beef, turkey, ostrich, chicken meat 4. Mangoes, rice, wheat 4. Jet fighters 5. Footballs. Now the country needs to reduce the unnecessary imports like 1. Electronics 5. Electrical 3. Technical 4. Weapons 5. Automobiles. 6. Mobiles etc.Of course reduction in imports and increase in exports will earn a good money but the ratio is important. If you are only exporting commodities then the ratio is very low. Export electronics, electrical, arms, jet fighters etc that will earn a handsome money but it will be a difficult exercise because from the countries you are importing and to the countries you are exporting may be the same. So they will not easily agree. So, find out new countries where you can export the things and from who you are not importing anything.

Yeah, record can be in negative too if not positive

Dawood Sb we are already into 1st quarter of 2019 and you are eyeing record exports in 2019. I wish you all the best but I don't think so it will happen.

Control tax evasion by the edible oil sector in tunes of billions.

One has to move on the ground to realise the export objective in an accountable manner.

Best of Luck!

Reduced cotton production entails lower cotton seed oil and increased palm oil import. Unless we switch to GM cotton seeds like India and China we won't be able to increase cotton production. These two neighbours doubled their cotton production by using Monsanto seeds. We keep on relying on our local versions because almost all the agri scientists have opened their own private seed companies where they market their half baked products while criticising GM products. Our successive governments including current one does not understand that China is far ahead in agri research still they import cotton seeds for some reason.

Finally someone realized the root cause good luck Mr Dawood.

To start at the basics, we must first of all start manufacturing our own quality sewing needles that we still import from China.

What we going to export.

Playing with numbers, adopting positive forecasting techniques and presenting a rosy picture to the people and media is the hallmark of all government departments, agencies and ministries.

@YK, you expect miracles? You have no clue about economics

"This year, we will achieve the target of highest exports in the history of the country," How? How would he get required enrgy/power?

@Arif Godil, We agree with you, but keep your record straight first, your company and affiliated economic terrorist who have already been convicted in Dubai, is your partner, think on ethics ground also for your businesses.

Common sense ,stop imports and manufacture goods and export, that’s the way to go.

Razzak Dawood should use a moral compass and resign. Conflict of interest is, at the minimum; a serious violation of the public trust. Candidate Imran Khan spoke clearly and repeatedly about conflict of interest but as the elected prime minister he is failing to walk his talk.

He is building castles in the air.

To reduce imports, please improve quality and standard of local products by introducing and enforcing stringent regulations.

Finally a man of substance. Mr Dawood, tripled the exports in the tine of President Musharaf as well. He will do it again.

@Mansur Ul Haque, wait for the results than talk. Why be negative and assume it's the result already.

This government has made some good ministerial/adviser selections and some bad ones. Razzak Dawood’s selection is a positive one and will InshaAllah bear fruit. Let us be patient. It will take a while for us to get out of this mess. A while.

No general statements are needed. Tell us EXACTLY how exports will increase. Changing the quality of seeds is a good step. What about other products--sports goods, tech. stuff, cotton, mangoes, etc. And more importantly, what strategies are being implemented to control import of goods that can be manufactured in Pakistan. Local product quality should improve significantly then imports will decline.

Very true. Make polices to reduce import via local manufacturing, increase exports via incentives and policies.

It is not as easy as it sounds. First, you must consider why people depend on imports. Some imports are better quality than local products for the same price. Second, many of the imported cars are cleaner for the environment and offer greater safety measures than the local automakers. This is not always a good policy to rely less on imports, this early in the stage. When local standards are at par with international standards that's when you should reduce imports. Until then, there are still many paths to cross.

He knows what he is talking about, He is successful business man and knows the arts of business . As a trade minister in Musharaff cabinet the export went up from 8 billion dollars to 25 billion dollars

We should learn from Bangladesh which exports $ 38 billion of garments without being a cotton producer. Our textile lobby only wants devaluation and does not improve quality and cost which is the problem in value added exports of textiles. We should focus on the development and export Information Technology which has tremendous potential.

Stop making us fools and start working otherwise leave government

how export can be increased without Gas and Power. Seem like Mr. Dawood do not know the reality

Ban luxury imports and facilitate local industry.

Right approach.

Make imports zero doesn't solve the problem. Those businesses that have an edge automatically and organically emerge out of competition, not from artificially protected status.

Pakistani industrialists purchase end of life obsolete worn out plant for developed countries, than want to become millionaires over night by selling substandard and shoddy goods, they heaven't a clue what today's industrial practices are all about.

Be careful of Dawood type businessman, their policies are for the rich only.

Just talking doesn’t do the job. Actions are required such as ban on all imported vehicles, meat and packaged food, imported furniture, And local businesses should be given more opportunities and better facilities than foreign companies. How do government expect foreign companies to come while local companies are leaving. Local gas and oil production need to increase and farmers are needed water not loans. List goes on. Sell steel mill to private local companies to put people to work.

Everybody say they want to export and reduce import but how has not been mentioned by the minister? If you do not import then there will be shortage of edible oil, etc. and consumer will pay more and there will be hoarding & blackmarketing.

If a good or service, that is in demand and can be bought overseas at a cheaper price, then it is best to import it. It is not the government's business to determine what people should or should not buy. When governments do this, a black market emerges. Instead of deciding which items should or should not be allowed to be imported, more focus should be on making the industrial sector competitive so that more exports take place and people in the country do not crave for imported products (like cheese and cars). It is common sense.

Simply talking doesn't make any sense, what is the plan and which products gonna export?

@Abida, they typically offer extreme incentives to exporters - indeed exports increase significantly BUT with huge underinvoicing and leakage of revenue.

These are good intentions. Is there an actual evidence of pickup in exports in the current year compared to the previous year?

Visionary leadership does not target (half) yearly achievement. People should expect 5 yearly program for export enhancement. Yearly target will lead to export subsidy in desperation of achieving targets.

The minister has correctly identified way out of economic downturn snd also is correct in pointing out out R&D as one of many reasons of the state of Pakistani exports. This needs to be done on a war footing. Some suggestions: 1. invest heavily in higher education and through joint industry-university R&D programs, improve technical competence 2. identify new products for industries that Pakistan tradionally has. For example, Pakistani leather fir auto seats; or, new textiles for hot/cold weather, or, high efficiecy fans..... 3. Identify new sectors in which Pakistan has good chance to succeed and support industries in those sectors. For example, tool and die, mechanical manufacturing, electric motors and generstirs, auto parts, electronic manufacturing, pharmaceuticals 4. Promote establishing industry and trade groups. The representatives of these groups must participate in international exhibitions, conferences and seminars to bring back valuable current info for their members. 5. Establish mechanisms to transfer defence sector innovations in materials, design and manufacturing to civilian entities for impriving their competitiveness. 6. Take steps to improve reputation of Pakistani products and companies via honest constructive reviews, collaboration with companies from other companies etc. 7. Govt can only make policies and facilitate mechanisms to help; the responsibility to deliver is on the shiulders of bussinesses. 8. This is a long term effort but it must start now. Cinese sayinf: ajourney of thousand miles start with a single step 9. Leverage technical and financial resources of overseas Pakistanis. Create conceptual framework of small and medium suze industries that can be taken as the starting point by investors. One window approval for investors setting up small industries. Encourge investment of overseas Pakistanis in industries and high efficiency farming and discourage they investing in making bigger houses, imported cars, etc.