Punjab offers interest-free loans of up to Rs50 million for pink salt value addition
- Maryam Nawaz announces financing to help businesses develop higher-value pink salt products.
- Loans will have a five-year repayment term, with no payments due for the first three months.
- A dedicated estate is being established in Quaidabad to support the industry.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced interest-free loans of up to Rs50 million under the Pink Salt Value Addition Financing Scheme, aimed at helping Pakistan secure greater economic returns from its mineral resources.
Addressing the scheme’s launch ceremony, she said the loans would be repayable over five years. Borrowers would not be required to make any repayments during the initial three months.
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Maryam described pink salt as one of Pakistan’s valuable natural assets, saying that processing it into higher-value products could increase the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
She said a dedicated estate was being developed in Quaidabad for this purpose, providing a base for businesses to add value to the mineral. Punjab had been blessed with abundant natural resources, she added, and needed to make fuller use of them.
The chief minister said that despite having pink salt mines, Pakistan had historically failed to benefit adequately from the resource. Other countries, she said, bought the salt cheaply from Pakistan and generated substantial earnings by selling it in international markets.
She added that overseas consumers often did not know the salt came from Pakistan, even when purchasing it at much higher prices.
