ISLAMABAD: The ministry of commerce has proposed establishing Faisalabad Garment City Phase-II to attract foreign investment and enhance the exports of value-added products, WealthPK reported on Friday.
The purpose of the project is to reduce the capital outlay of garments’ manufacturers and provide fully-compliant state-of-the-art infrastructure for exports of value-added garments.
The project will be launched in Faisalabad city, a hub of textile manufacturing in the Punjab province, reported WealthPK.
According to the documents detailing the proposed plan, factory units would be leased out to foreign and domestic manufacturers of garments.
The ministry is optimistic that the project will attract foreign investment in Pakistan.
Vocational training of workers for capacity building, internships and various programmes for enhancement of skills would also be introduced, according to the documents, a copy of which is available with WealthPK.
The project would focus on measures to reduce the cost of doing business and remove the hurdles in establishing garments’ production units.
The ministry of commerce said this project will increase the proportion of value-added products in the total textile exports.
In Faisalabad Garments City Phase-II, textile units will be encouraged to use modern management practices for improving efficiency and reducing wastages, the ministry said.
The project also aims to maximise the value of Pakistan’s cotton resources. With the establishment of more textile units in the country, maximum cotton and other raw material would be transformed into value-added products.
The garment city project will lead to higher per capita productivity and reduce wastage because of the in-house training and constant capacity building of professionals and supervisors, the ministry of commerce’s documents said.
Meanwhile, commerce ministry spokesperson Aisha Humera Chaudhry said the total cost of the project is estimated at Rs2 billion and it will be completed in three years.
She added that the ministry of commerce will sponsor the project, while it will be executed by Faisalabad Garment City Company (FGCC).
The proposed plan has been sent to the ministry of planning, development and special initiatives for approval, the spokesperson informed WealthPK.
In the proposed garment city, investors will get all the facilitation regarding construction, logistics, electricity and gas connections and certain documentation by relevant departments.
Around 4,000 jobs will be created directly while 15,000 to 20,000 people would get employment gradually, the commerce ministry spokesperson said.
The project will also focus on research and development in textile sectors, besides facilitating in establishing production units.
The FGCC is the first physical infrastructure of the ministry of commerce and textile (Textile Division).
The Faisalabad Garment City Phase-II will be a cluster of manufacturing units served by a centralised administrative block, providing common facilities like a women training centre, an exhibition centre, conference halls, and a logistic support office.
A state-of-art testing laboratory for textile clothing and garments will also be established.
INP
