Printing sector capable of earning $8-16b per year
Keeping the current situation in view, the printing of textbooks has become impossible and these may not be available in markets, an industry leader said. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan’s printing sector alone has the potential of reeling in $8-$16 billion in foreign exchange, contributing a significant amount to the national exchequer, said former chairman of the Pakistan Association of Printing and Graphic Arts Industry (PAPGAI) Dr S M Minhanjuddin.
“The worldwide printing industry stands at $980 billion. Our local printing industry, with the government’s support, can acquire 1-2% of the global turnover,” he said at a press conference. He added that “given the cost effectiveness of operations backed by a talented pool of human resource, Pakistan’s printing industry had a competitive advantage to penetrate and create a footprint in the global export market.”
Around 15,000 printing companies operate across Pakistan, employing over a million workforce to serve as an essential partner to many other sectors.
“It has a clear advantage over countries like China and Malaysia, where the labour cost is relatively high,” he added.
“Pakistan’s printing industry carries great potential as the consumption of paper per capita is still 9 KGs, in comparison to India’s (13—14 KGs), Sri Lanka’s 19KGs, China’s 80-84KGs, and the USA with 300 KGs,” said former PAPGAI chairman.
Similarly, the consumption of flexible printing per capita in Pakistan stands at 4 KGs, whereas in the Middle East it lies at 16KGs, South America at 22 KGs, 90KGs in Europe, and the USA stood at 145KGs.
“Currently, the domestic paper and paperboard industry meets over 70% of domestic demand. This is one of the biggest, and highly capital-intensive, industries of the country, needing continuous operations to achieve operational efficiencies,” said Minhajuddin.
The total turnover of the industry is Rs425 billion annually, and with the printing and packaging industry adding value of 35% to 40%, it takes the overall turnover to around Rs595 billion per annum.
“As per the most recent estimates, the industry uses approximately one million metric tons of wheat straw (agricultural waste) annually for pulp making, and generates additional income for farmers, worth over Rs7.25 billion per year,” he elaborated.
He added that the use of around 1.5 million MT of waste paper for recycling not only helps keep the environment clean, but also creates an income of over Rs78 billion annually for thousands of poor and unskilled labour forces involved in the collection chain of waste paper.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2022.
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