Gas is crucial for the major export industries to function and produce, therefore the government must ensure the availability of gas in this coming winter primarily for the pulp and paper, metals, chemicals, petroleum refining, stone, clay and glass, plastic, and food processing industries etc because these industries account for over 80 percent of all industrial natural gas use.
In a Statement issued here on Sunday, The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) President Mian Tariq Misbah, Senior Vice President Nasir Hameed Khan and Vice President Tahir Manzoor Chaudhry urged the federal government to resolve the issue of low gas pressure and unavailability of gas to the industrial sector and said that the industry is badly affected by the unavailability of natural gas therefore the authorities should take all steps to keep the industrial wheel on the run.
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry office-bearers said that Natural gas is the second most used energy source in industry, trailing only electricity. It has a mass of industrial uses i.e bringing the essential ingredients for such varied products including anti-freeze, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, fabrics and plastic.
They said the industrial sector is the largest consumer of natural gas and accounts for around 43 percent of natural gas use across all sectors.
The office-bearers of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that the industrial production came to a halt after the Spread of Coronavirus followed by the lockdown for around half of an year and now when the situation is seemingly better and the industry has start working again the gas issue is threatening to impact the another half year.
They said Pakistan will not afford another slowdown as our rupee is devaluing and economic activities are minimal.
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry office-bearers said that the industrial sector uses more delivered energy than any other end-use sector around the globe, consuming about 54 percent of the world’s total delivered energy.
They said the industrial sectors especially energy-intensive manufacturing sectors will be the most affected due to non-delivery of essential natural gas.
They urged the government to ensure the maximum facilities to the industrial sector in this post-corona era as these times are very critical and demand more attention than ever before.
