Pakistan

Investment Portfolio: APBF draws attention to falling FDI

Qureshi urged the trade officers to explore opportunities

Our Correspondent February 02, 2017

“Pakistan has great potential and an encouraging environment for foreign direct investment in various sectors,” says Ahsan Iqbal. DESIGN: CREATIVE COMMON

LAHORE: The All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF) has urged the government to promote foreign direct investment (FDI), which has maintained a steady decline from a $5.2 billion peak in 2007-08. FDI has been falling despite government spending on overseas trade offices, which has increased to Rs1.7 billion in 2016-17. APBF President Ibrahim Qureshi has said that only political will and drastic steps can revive the economy, which should be growing significantly and constantly. He advocated the need for raising the country’s tax base so that tax-to-GDP ratio improves from the current 9%. He said that the primary function of a trade office is to promote exports that have persistently been falling for a long time. Qureshi urged the trade officers to explore opportunities to diversify exports of goods and services in their respective areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2017.

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