LAHORE: As many as 70 national and 10 international exhibitors are participating in Pakistan’s first chemical expo ‘Pak Chem Expo 2022’ that is to be held at the Lahore Expo Center from tomorrow (Tuesday).
This international exhibition is being organized by the Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA) to highlight the importance of the country’s 20 billion dollar chemical market.
“Renowned national and international industries are participating in this two-day expo while well-known chemical scientists from all over the world will also share their experiences and new researches,” said Senior Vice Chairman PCMA Haroon Ali Khan in a press conference here on Monday.
The two-day mega forum and Expo is geared to achieve the objective of networking with global players and gaining exposure to global industry best practices. The event will feature the deployment of more than 100 stalls by the industry and academia.
Pakistan Chemical Expo 2022 is expected to attract a large number of visitors, including policymakers, industry experts, businessmen, and corporate professionals. It has also been able to attract foreign representation through Aspen Technology Inc – KSA, Farabi Petrochemicals Company – KSA, and Kartli international – Russia.
Senior Vice Chairman PCMA said that Pakistan’s chemical industry had a market of $20 billion and it was providing direct and indirect employment to 6 hundred thousand people while it contributed around Rs.200 billion to national exchequer.
“It has not yet been fully exploited due to lack of awareness about its potential and absence of comprehensive and integrated chemical policy at the government level,” said Haroon. If Pakistan’s chemical industry is facilitated and an integrated chemical policy is implemented at the government level, the trade deficit can be significantly reduced,” said Haroon.
Haroon emphasized that the growth of this industry was not possible without government’s support and the first thing it needs was a comprehensive chemical policy in consultation with the PCMA and other stakeholders to encourage and secure long-term investments.
Senior Member PCMA Zafar Mehmood said that the chemical industry needed uninterrupted supply of electricity and gas. “We need Naphtha Cracking Plants as established by Thailand and Singapore while a separate business park on 3000 acres for all chemical-related industries is also required,” said Zafar.
It is pertinent to mention here that the chemical industry is the third fastest growing industry in the world. More than 70,000 products are produced with the use of different types of chemicals, and its volume in the global market is close to 6 trillion dollars. The exhibition is managed by Petrol Solution.