Ans: Role of Industry in Economic Developments
Pakistan, basically, is an agrarian economy, Experts believe that we can
build a strong base for industry only by strengthening our agriculture sede,
maller of the fact is that industrial development is in no way less importan
then the development of agriculture sector, following are the reasons:
Modem agriculture depends on Industry, to fulfill its needs. For examps
fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides and all sorts of agricultural implements and
machinery is manufactured by industrial sector.
Prices of raw material, in global market, rapidly fluctuate, Economis planning
done on the basis of raw material prices is never dependable. Long term
economic development cannot be based on raw material prices. For sour
and long terms economic planning we have to shift our exports from
agricultural raw material to processed and manufactured goods,
Pakistan spends huge amounts on the import of Industrial raw material, For
example wie import petroleum, coal and edible oil. In these circumstances vis
need to establish industry which is based on locally produced raw materials
This will save our foreign exchange i.e.
. Textile Industry:
Textile industry is based on cotton and wool, both these commodities are
produced in abundance in our country,
. Leather Industry!
Pakistan earns foreign exchange by the export of animal skins and hides. If
we start converting our skins and hides into finished products our foreign
exchange earnings will tremendously increase,
. Chemical Industry:
Pakistan produces a large variety of chemicals and salts. We can enhance
our foreign exchange earning if we install industrial units to process these
chemicals on international standards.
. Agro-Based Industries:
Agro based industries are of two kinds, industries which use agricultural
produce as raw material and industries which fulfill the basic requirements of
The agricultural sector l.e. tractor, tubewell agricultural equipment and
implements, fertilizer and agricultural chemicals production units.
. Industries Based on Consumer’s Goods:
We spend huge amounts on the import of consumer’s goods. In order to
save foreign exchange we should set up consumer’s good based industry,
for example, edible oil, electrical and electronic equipment, cutlery.
stationery, sanitary etc. More job opportunities will be created with the
establishment of more industrial units. Almost 80 percent of our population
lives in villages. Setting up of small and cottage industries will improve the
living standards of our rural population.
. Cottage Industry:
Industrial units run by the members of a household or with the help of a
small number of people from neighbourhood are called cottage industries.
Cottage industry applies simple tools and equipment and consumes little or
no energy (electricity and fuel). We have a large variety of cottage industries
in Pakistan, first among this category are the products of rural artisans and
craftsmen. These industrial units do not require heavy investment; these
units can be set up in rural as well as urban areas. Cottage industry, in
general is closely related with agriculture sector. Agro-based cottage
industry includes poultry farming, bee farming, small scale animal farming,
paddy husking, oil extraction, and making jaggery (gur) and brown sugar.
Following crafts are generally undertaken by-urban artisans: ivory cutting
and inlay, cane craft, embroidery and needle work, leather tanning and
leather craft, sports industry, wooden furniture and wood craft earthen ware
and glazed tile baking, crafting camel skin lamps and other decoration
pieces, casting glass and metal bangles. Most important of our cottage
industries are brick kilns and hand-looms.
. Heavy Industry:
Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such
as numerous or heavy products, large and heavy equipment, huge buildings
and large-scale infrastructure, complex or numerous processes. Due to
these factors heavy industry consumes energy on large scale and depends
more on machines than on human labour.