Sindh Chief Minister has approved in principle the establishment of a Garment City in Hyderabad and allowed allocation of Rs 100 million for feasibility preparation. Chairing a departmental meeting on Saturday, Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce said the project on 500 acres of land will cost Rs 225 million and its completion will take two-years.
The minister said that garment city in Hyderabad would be the biggest in Pakistan, whereas Faisalabad garment city company, which is incorporated by Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) is spread on 40 acres of land only. Rauf Siddidi informed that the will provide facilities and necessary infrastructure to textile/leather garment sector to enhance the export of value added garments, made ups and accessories and leather garments to International markets.
He said foreign investors/entrepreneurs could quickly move in and start manufacturing in accordance with WTO requirements. He hoped the project would attract foreign investors who would prefer to get state of the art factory space, rather investing their capital in land. He said that the project would generate sizeable employment opportunities, especially for women.
Rauf Siddiqi pointed out that garment cities are successfully operating in China, Singapore, Vietnam and Bangladesh while India is setting up large industrial parks for the same purpose. Under the Trade Policy, the establishment of three garment cities in Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad has been envisaged to develop state of the art facilities for garment manufacturers.
He asked the concerned officers to wakeup from lumber and dedicatedly work for development of Sindh. He directed Secretary Industries & Commerce to expedite the implementation process to complete the project before stipulated period of 02 years to ensure social and economic dividends for the people of Sindh.