Federal Minister for Planning and Development Emphasizes the Need for Enhanced Productivity to Achieve Economic Growth

Islamabad : Federal Minister for Planning and Development Prof Ahsan Iqbal visited National Productivity Organization, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Industries and Production.

On this occasion, Additional Secretary Industry and Production Asad Islam Mani and CEO National Productivity Muhammad Alamgir Chaudhry gave detailed briefing to Federal Minister Prof Ahsan Iqbal on the National Productivity Master Plan, a strategic framework to turn Around Pakistan’s productivity scenario developed with the support of Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Tokyo Japan and Assistance of Korean Development Institute (KDI). KDI is the 6th largest global think tank offering global consultancy services on policy related framework.

Speaking on this occasion, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that the only way to achieve growth for Pakistan at this time is to increase productivity. He regretted that despite having vast resources, Pakistan’s economy had been facing challenges due to political instability and a lack of focus on productivity.
Giving example to the participants he said Pakistan is the third largest milk producer in the world yet our production is 1600 to 1800 liters of milk per animal. Other milk producing nations have increased their production levels to approximately 7000 to 8000 liters of milk per animal by adapting to productive methods. He emphasized that the country needs to enhance productivity in agri-industry and value addition of its products.
Prof Ahsan Iqbal said that due to political instability and frequent policy shifts from time to time, sustainable development cannot take place. We may reap the benefits of a consistent and sustainable policy in 10 years. Pakistan’s economy has to work hard to get out of deficit. Federal minister said that the biggest weapon in today’s era is information and technology, which is essential to sustain in this era of rapid innovation. “The world is moving towards artificial intelligence and automation, and Pakistan needs to catch up to stay competitive,” he added.
He said we as nation are known around the world as trustworthy and hardworking people. The nation needs to work collectively for a common cause of boosting productivity.
He suggested that a national summit may be organized in collaboration with APO and NPO where all the stakeholders may discuss ways to improve productivity and competitiveness. He also suggested that a nation-wide movement may be launched to create awareness on productivity and competitiveness.