Planning Minister Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday directed developing a medium-term framework for deregulating sugar industry, stressing industries to ensure data uniformity, crop zoning and backward integration. He passed the directives while chairing a meeting of the Prime Minister's Committee on Sugar stocking, forecasting and planning, notified in December last to develop a foolproof sys
During December 2024, the oil marketing companies (OMC) industry reported sales of 1.28 million tons, reflecting a 3% year-on-year (YoY) increase. However, sales registered a notable 19% decline compared to the previous month. "The month-on-month decline highlights seasonal variation," said Optimus Capital Management Research Head Maaz Azam. In the first half of fiscal year 2024-25 (1HFY25),
Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX) CEO Khurram Zafar on Wednesday said that PMEX wanted to advance the concept of innovation and productivity in the commodity market by increasing efficiency in agriculture and metal sectors. "We are envisioning future markets under which market regulation will be maintained and competitiveness and productivity will be enhanced," the CEO told APP in an intervie
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the Balochistan Board of Investment and Trade (BBoIT) will jointly organise the Balochistan Summit 2025 on January 27-28 in Islamabad, aimed at promoting business, investment, joint ventures and industrialisation on an international scale in the province, FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh announced on Wednesday. The civili
Pakistan's trade deficit widened 35% to $1.8 billion in December 2024 after the government let imports grow to more than $5 billion for the first time in two years. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Wednesday that trade deficit – the gap between imports and exports – widened 35% in December compared to the same month of last year. The key reason behind the jump in deficit was $5.3