Logistics sector sees $36b losses on offline trade

Fostering sea-borne trade through digitalisation, experts and professionals in ports, shipping, and logistics have raised concerns that Pakistan's logistics industry faces annual losses of approximately $36 billion due to offline trade, which is also contributing to the loss of two to three million jobs in the sector. They shared these views during the 'Pakistan Logistics & Shipping Summit 2025: Navigating Global Trade Dynamics', organised by the Smart Entrepreneur Society (SES) at a local hotel on Thursday. They stressed that real-time solutions, including processing, tracking, and other digital facilities, are essential to tapping into growth opportunities and competing with the developed world. On top of that, they noted that while government processes have become nearly real-time, a significant gap remains, with approximately 70% of private sector activities, including those of freight forwarders and related service providers, still relying on outdated and manual methods.