KARACHI:Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany to Pakistan, Alfred Grannas, referring to the energy crises facing Pakistan, said Pakistan can become the next Saudi Arabia not in terms of oil but in green energy as the country has huge potential. Pakistan can produce substantial amount of green hydrogen which can be exported to Germany also, he said while exchanging views at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
German Consul General in Karachi Dr Rüdiger Lotz and First Secretary of the Embassy of Germany Christian Bottcher were also present.
The Ambassador said his country was producing some of the green hydrogen but not enough so it was an area where there was a huge potential for exports to Germany. German companies were interested in investing in Pakistan for the production of green hydrogen and they could bring in the necessary technology for combining solar, hydro, wind and some parts of traditional energy to have stable energy generation and provision.
He, however, mentioned that Pakistan needs economic stability to attract for investment from different countries including of Germany.
He pointed out that another area for improving Pakistan’s exports to Germany was the agricultural sector as she produced good quality and tasteful agricultural products.
European Union’s rules go through a cumbersome process which was not that easy but once attained, EU including Germany could be very stable markets for the exports of agricultural and food products, he added.
Referring to remarks about GSP Plus Scheme, he said that though it had proved mutually beneficial for Pakistan and Germany but the decision about its continuation would be taken by the European parliament, and if they say no then there is no GSP Plus for the country in question.
“It is not a secret that there is some skepticism in European Parliament about all the achievements in the fields of human rights and the commitments that are related to GSP Plus by Pakistan, ‘ he remarked.
Chairman Businessmen Group in KCCI Muhammad Zubair Motiwala said the recent devastating floods in Pakistan had caused huge losses of up to $30 billion and the process of rehabilitating the poor masses in flood-hit areas was currently underway. In this situation , it was very important that Pakistan continues to receive support in shape of GSP Plus which helped in improving our exports to $30 billion. He requested the German Ambassador to use his good office to ensure that GSP Plus continues for Pakistan.
Keeping in view Germany’s expertise and ability of producing green energy, Chairman BMG sought German assistance in setting up solar, wind and hydel power plants in Pakistan. “In yesteryears, Germany introduced a scheme wherein it helped Pakistani industries in procuring generators which was an excellent scheme. A similar support was needed again from Germany for installing solar power plants in industries. ‘ In this regard, we don’t want any aid but soft-loans for setting up solar power plants with a payback period of 30 years which would be a great help in permanently dealing with the energy crises being faced by the industries.”
He further said that German companies could also invest in setting up desalination plants in Karachi and the desalinated water can be sold either to the water suppliers in Karachi or to individual industries directly by the German companies.
Commenting on existing trade ties between the two countries, Zubair Motiwala said that although Germany was the largest buyer of Pakistan goods but there was much room for increasing the exports to Germany by focusing on textiles, fabrics, engineering and other sectors. Pakistan could increase textile exports to Germany by at least three times through exchange of government-to-government and business-to-business delegations in addition to regularly participating in trade fairs and exhibitions being staged in both countries”, he asserted. M. Zubair Motiwala, who is also CEO of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, invited German companies to participate in TDAP’s TEXPO Exhibition scheduled to be organized in the month of May 2023.
Vice Chairmen BMG Anjum Nisar, KCCI Senior Vice President Touseef Ahmed, Vice President Muhammad Haris Agar, Chairman Diplomatic Missions and Embassies Liaison Subcommittee Ziaul Arfeen, Former Presidents Majyd Aziz and Muhammad Idrees along with KCCI Managing Committee Members were also present.