SPEECH OF THE
PRIME MINISTER
ON THE
OCCASION OF
INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF GRAIN & FERTILIZER
TERMINAL
AT PORT QASIM
(26TH OCTOBER 2010)
Dr. Ishrat ul Ibad, Governor Sindh
Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Minister Sindh
Senator Babar Khan Ghauri, Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping
Chairman, Port Qasim Authority
General Hamid Rab Nawaz, Chairman, FAP
Mr. Ghouse Akbar, Vice Chairman, FAP
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalam o Alaikum,
Before I start, I would like to thank Fauji Akbar Portia Marine Terminals and
Portia (FAP) for inviting me to inaugurate the first fully automated dry bulk
handling and storage terminal in Pakistan.
I congratulate the management of the Fauji Akbar Portia on this landmark
achievement.
Our Government stands committed to the growth and prosperity of
Pakistan through creation of an investor friendly environment in the
country. The policies that have been put in place are a demonstration of
our commitment to facilitate the private sector to invest in infrastructure
projects in the country. The fact that we are here today is a proof that these
policies are bearing fruit and our vision is being realized.
I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the Minister for Ports and
Shipping,
the
Chairman
of
the
Port
Qasim
Authority
and
other
governmental organizations whose positive interaction with the private
sector has rendered this vision into a reality today. In fact this state of the
art terminal is a gift to the people of Pakistan. It will help in reducing costs,
increasing speed of loading/unloading and preventing wastage. It would
also ensure that the commodities related to the field of agriculture are
handled according to the highest international standards.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Our ports are vital to the economic development of Pakistan. Efficient ports
and terminals lower the cost of imports, bring revenue through exports,
increase our foreign exchange reserves and enhance tax collection
through greater transparency. These measures will help the people of
Pakistan by reducing food inflation, a phenomenon that is hurting the most
to the poor people of our nation. Being one of the busiest ports in the
country, Port Qasim’s current contribution to the country’s economic
activities is quite significant.
The world-class facilities such as this Terminal will further contribute to
our GDP and help Pakistan achieve its goals in becoming a strategic hub
for regional trade.
Recent trends in the shipping industry have shown that cargo ships are
becoming larger.
These vessels have enhanced capacity to transport cargo in bulk quantities
which makes commodities cheaper for the end consumer by reducing
transportation costs and time to reach the market. Availing this opportunity
is only possible if our ports and shipping channels can accommodate
these large vessels, commonly known as Super Panamax.
Distinguished audience
Until now Port Qasim could only accommodate dry bulk vessels of 50,000
Tons capacity due to the outdated terminals and depth of the channel.
I am pleased to note that the new terminal, which was created by
reclaiming 22 acres of water at a cost USD 135 million, has a 300 meter
long Jetty with a depth of 14.5 meters.
It has been built to accommodate vessels of 75,000 tons capacity. However,
due to shallow depth of 12m of the channel at the moment, vessels of
75,000 tonnage capacity cannot reach to this new terminal.
Therefore, in order to make this possible the next step that needs to be
taken by the PQA is dredging of the channel to 14m on war footings so that
the larger vessels can actually reach the berth at the Terminal in the
coming months.
This is part of the Port Qasim’s master plan, which needs to be
implemented so as to take the maximum advantage from this Terminal. The
faster this is done, the faster Pakistan will be able to save millions of
dollars in foreign exchange through reduced freight charges on charter of
vessels, allowing the government to redirect funds to various development
projects and increase volumes of cargo at PQA.
Respected participants
Following examples of various developing countries, the government is
always seeking new avenues to facilitate and encourage foreign investment
into the country through provision of incentives and business friendly
policies in the shipping and ports sector.
The nation has passed through a very turbulent period during and after the
floods.
These unprecedented floods in our country’s history have left us with a
huge challenge ahead in terms of rehabilitation and reconstruction.
On account of inadequate storage facilities, we have experienced shortage
in some commodities.
God forbid if we are confronted with such a situation again, we can prevent
these shortages and wastages as the strategic storage for precious
commodities like wheat will now be possible because of FAP silos.
Ladies and Gentlemen
The journey towards becoming a successful transport hub varies from one
port enterprise to another. Each business operates in a unique business
environment because of different growth patterns and directions, different
cultures, historical backgrounds and legacies.
Yet most successful ports have common factors, both from visionary
management to the structured strengthening of capabilities.
The Fauji Akbar Portia stands to gain by learning from the various best
global practices and replicating them here for maximization of output.
Terminals such as the Fauji Akbar Portia are the need of the hour to enable
Pakistan to progress.
The government will continue to assist such long term investments by
providing incentives and reducing financing cost for port projects. Our
Government will continue to support all possible investment in ports and
shipping industry.
We believe that the projects such as FAP will help reduce the cost of
importing commodities which will hopefully lower inflation and help the
poor of this nation.
I would, once again, like to congratulate the FAP for their bold move.
I sincerely hope the Fauji Akbar Portia will make the nation proud.
Thank you very much
Pakistan Paindabad