03 05 10 15 Business Opportunity Brief: D A R T 12 Final.pdf · kitchenware and non-kitchenware....

D A R T

03Sector Analysis:Cutlery Industry of Pakistan

15Country Profile: Kingdom of Sweden

1

10Public Policy Review:Construction of Efficient Buildings

Contents

Flip Side Role of Media 1

Sector wise GDP Expenditure 2

Sector Analysis

Business Opportunity BriefXylitol 5

Issue of the MonthThe Cost of Wastages 7

Public Policy ReviewConstruction of Efficient Buildings 10

Heroes & HopeMai Jori 11

Company in Focus 14

Country ProfileKingdom of Sweden 15

Cutlery Industry of Pakistan

PINFO

3

Contact: No. 6, Street 32/1, F-8/1, Islamabad-44000 Phone:+92-51-2261487 Fax:+92-51-2280581 E-mail: [email protected]

Editor: Muhammad Siddique

Corporate Affairs: Ali Faizan

DART Newsletter, 2012February,

Keeping a watch on economy, industry and trade

FLIP SIDE

...Role of Media

There is no denying the fact that Pakistani Media is

enjoying complete freedom of thought and expression which

is un-paralleled in the past. But the freedom also brings

certain responsibilities. It is said that on the US Independence

Day, a young man was chanting slogans of freedom very

enthusiastically, when all of a sudden his fist hit the nose of

another person sitting nearby, who angrily shouted ,”Hay,

what are you doing?” The response came, “I am enjoying my

freedom.” The other person said, “Man, your freedom ends

where my nose begins.” So the freedom of every kind has

certain limits, which must be respected and observed.

The electronic and print media in Pakistan has

progressed by leaps and bounds. The majority of the

household in Pakistan, which has an 'idiot box' commonly

known as TV, mostly remains glued to it and watch talk-

shows or political debates. Unfortunately, in the race to

become more popular and to make money, the TV channels

have crossed all the limits. They have no respect for the

sentiments and ethical values of their viewers. In order to

increase their viewership and ‘ratings’ they use all negative

tools. This 'breaking news' trend has taken a very ugly turn, as

every TV channel tries to portray a normal incident in an

abnormal way. Likewise, the print media, in its columns,

editorials and news-stories, goes beyond limits. Most of the

columnists and TV talk-show hosts indulge in self-criticism

to the extent that it crosses boundaries of self-condemnation.

Self-criticism is a good trait as it enables a person to look

inward, find faults, and adopt remedial measures, but

continuous self-condemnation is self-destructive and very

February 2012

05Business Opportunity Brief:Xylitol

DART

“Advice is a Trust”

Sector wise GDP Expenditure(Expenditure as % of GDP)

Country

Bangladesh

Brazil

Cambodia

Columbia

Egypt

Hungry

India

Indonesia

Israel

Japan

Kenya

Malaysia

Pakistan

Poland

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Syria

Turkey

Vietnam

USA

Military

1.2

1.6

1.8

3.7

2.0

1.0

2.4

1.0

6.5

1.0

1.9

1.5

3.2

1.9

1.2

2.8

3.9

2.4

2.2

4.8

Health

1.0

4.0

2.0

5.0

2.0

5.0

1.0

1.0

4.0

7.0

2.0

2.0

1.0

5.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

5.0

3.0

8.0

Education

2.4

5.1

2.1

4.7

3.8

5.1

3.1

2.8

5.9

3.4

6.9

4.1

2.7

4.9

5.4

5.0

4.9

6.9

5.3

5.5

Source : World Bank

2 DART Newsletter, February, 2012

Editor

Muhammad Siddique

harmful for the individuals as well as the nation. It is

having a bad impact on psychological and physical

health of the viewers of TV channels and readers of

print media, as they are becoming patients of

depression and hypertension etc. It is also having

harmful effect on our youth, majority of which is

losing hope in this country, and going abroad to the so

called greener pastures, causing brain-drain and

injuries to the economy and the social fabric of the

country.

Media affects people's perceptions and

priorities. Pakistan, at the moment, is facing a lot of

problems. So the responsibility of the media is much

more than any other institution. The Media should,

therefore, highlight the issues which are good for the

masses and discourage unethical factors in the society.

They should be very sensible while presenting the

contents of news and views.

It is, therefore, need of the hour that sanity should

prevail in the electronic and print media and instead of

continuous self-condemnation, self-control, under a

code of ethics, must be followed by all. The nation

respects the right of freedom of speech, thought and

expressions. But the Media should also keep in mind

that their freedom ends where the boundaries of

individual and collective psychological health begin.

Readers are at liberty to use, reproduce or copy the contents of

DART with or without acknowledgement.

DISCLAIMER

Although Editor makes every effort to ensure the correctness of

the information, however Dartways (SMC -Pvt.) Limited

accepts no responsibility for or liability arising from any of the

information.

Cutlery, in general, refers to all types of cutting

instruments which may be used for industrial,

commercial or domestic purposes. Cutlery products

are generally classified into two categories namely

kitchenware and non-kitchenware. The detail of

products included in each category is depicted in

table 1.

Located in the traditional metal workmanship

triangle of Punjab, is the town of Wazirabad where

the major part of the cutlery industry of Pakistan is

clustered. However, some of the cutlery

manufacturers are present in Sialkot, Lahore,

Karachi and Dir (KPK) also. One important segment

of industry (shaving blades and disposable razors) is

entirely situated outside Wazirabad.

The history of metalworking in the vicinity of

Wazirabad dates back to the times when Alexander

the Great invaded India but it was in the time of

British when the craftsmen of this area were

recognised for their skills in cutlery. In its early days

3DART Newsletter, February, 2012

Cutlery Industry of Pakistan

the town used to produce arms and ammunition for

British Indian Army. During the World War II, the

industry in and around Wazirabad, was

manufacturing arms and accessories like bayonets,

karpans, knives, daggers, etc. for allied forces. After

the World War II, the market for war related products

dried up. Soon after, most of the Hindu businessmen

left because of partition of India and with it a huge

sub-continental market was lost. This industry,

therefore, had to go through restructuring and

diversification. The industry emerged out of the

crises with product diversification and started

manufacturing cutlery, knives of various kinds,

blades, scissors, shears, daggers, swords, replicas of

swords and knives for decorative purposes and

kitchenware. Ever since, the industry has grown and

has weathered many up & down swings.

The industry essentially comprises of SMEs.

There are over 400 units directly associated with the

manufacturing of different cutlery products out of

which 15-20 units may be classified as medium.

More than 150 cutlery manufacturers are members of

“Pakistan Cutlery and Stainless Steel Utensils

Manufacturers Association”. The total installed

capacity of the cutlery industry is to the tune of 8

million pieces whereas the production is 4.3 – 4.5

million pieces, according to the aforementioned

Association. The direct and indirect employment of

this industry is estimated to be around 25,000. The

cutlery industry contributes 0.11% to the country's

GDP and has a share of 0.25% and 6.5% in total

exports and engineering exports respectively. The

industry occupies the domestic market space (90 %+)

and very few items of cutlery, kitchenware and blades

are imported.

The major raw materials used by this industry

include stainless steel sheet, re-melted metals, brass

sheets, densified wood, camel bones, steel wire and

plastics. Among different grades of steel being used

for cutlery is Damascus steel which yields best finish

for the products. All the raw materials used by this

industry, whether produced locally or imported, are

easily available.

Trade Statistics of Cutlery:

According to trademap data, the global imports

Sector Analysis


and exports were US$ 10,727 million and US$ 9,571

million respectively for the year 2009. The imports

and exports of Pakistan were US$ 11.83 million and

52.88 million respectively for the same period. The

details of the trade are given in table 2. The analysis of

the data shows that Pakistan's share in global exports

is a mere 0.55% despite the potential.

Strengths, Weaknesses & Need Assessment:

Over time, the industry has matured and the

basic skill set is available at low cost but the skill set

for higher value addition is unavailable. The industry

also has sufficient production capacity and basic

technologies which are now outdated. The

productive assets are also outdated. The limited

product mix and varieties in products is also

hindering the growth of this industry.

The manufacturers also lack the knowledge of

potential new markets and their dynamics. Moreover

they have not yet been able to develop their brands

and are dependent on third parties for marketing. The

internal conflicts of the industry and the cut throat

competition in prices are also adversely affecting the

industry. Furthermore the industry also lacks the

knowledge about quality standards and certifications

and therefore quality management systems are

almost nonexistent. Although there are a few

companies who are large enough and have adequate

managerial, technical, financial strength and

sufficient export orientation and experience but

majority fall in SME sector and lacks these skills.

Thrust product wise studies of potential markets

need to be done in order to assist and prepare the

exporters for venturing into new markets.

Knowledge dissipation about latest manufacturing

practices, technologies, management practices and

quality standards among the manufacturers need to

be undertaken to enhance their competiveness. Skill

sets both at technical and managerial levels need to be

improved.

Table 2: Trade Statistics of Cutlery for year 2009 Amount in US$ million

other Scandinavian countries that had gone through

the embargo and substituted xylitol for sugar. Xylitol

is a five-carbon alcohol sugar as opposed to other

types of sugars which are six-carbons. Bacteria in

plaque “feed” on six-carbon sugars and produce acid

that erodes tooth enamel resulting in cavities.

Because of its five-carbon structure xylitol doesn't

“feed” Streptococcus mutans which then can't

produce damaging acid. Xylitol reduces the ability of

bacteria to stick to teeth which allows for saliva to

wash it away more easily.

Xylitol has virtually no aftertaste, and is

advertised as "safe for diabetics and individuals with

hyperglycemia". This tolerance is attributed to the

lower impact of xylitol on a person's blood sugar,

compared to that of regular sugars. Xylitol easily

metabolizes (independent of insulin) in human body

and produces the same amount of energy (4 cal/gm)

signifying its application in all diabetic foods. Apart

from the above, the adhesive properties of xylitol

have been reported to replace phenolic resin for

plywood bonding.

Production Process:

Xylitol can be found in small quantities in a

various plants, fruits and vegetables. The primary

sources are raspberries, strawberries, yellow plums,

cauliflower, spinach and others. Although widely

distributed in nature, its presence in low

concentration makes it uneconomic to produce

xylitol on commercial scale from such natural


Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol appearing in

many forest and agricultural materials containing

hemicelluloses. It belongs to polyol group which

consists of sweeteners that are carbohydrates and not

sugars. The xylitol molecule contains five carbon

atoms and five hydroxyl groups which qualify it as a

pentitol. The sweetness of xylitol is equal to that of

sucrose. The food energy contained in xylitol is 2.4

kcal/g which is roughly equivalent to 2/3 of that

present in sucrose thus making it a low-calorie

alternative to table sugar. Xylitol is also called “birch

sugar” because it also comes from the cellulose of

birch tree bark.

Xylitol was discovered in 1891 by a German

chemist named Emil Fischer. Xylitol was first derived

from birch trees in Finland in the 20th century and was

first popularised in Europe as a safe sweetener for

people with diabetes that would not impact insulin

levels. During World War II an embargo prevented

Finland from getting sugar. To prevent the country

from going through sugar withdrawal, the government

built a factory to produce xylitol. After the war xylitol

production was discontinued because it was cheaper to

again import cane sugar.

Xylitol with the sweetening property matching

that of sucrose (sugar) enjoys good applications as

sugar substitute for food processing and medicine

industry. In food, xylitol has been found particularly

attractive as a non sugar sweetener for chewing gums,

hard candies, mints, sugar-less chocolates, gelatin,

puddings, jams, baked products and ice-creams

whereas in medicine it has been used as a non sugar

sweetener for chewing vitamins, tablets, cough syrups,

mouth washes and tooth pastes. Xylitol produces a

perceived sensation of coolness in mouth as it comes in

contact with the saliva for its negative heat of solution.

This property makes it quite desirable in certain food

products, especially beverages.

Another significant property of Xylitol has been

the prevention of dental cavities as established by the

dental cavities prevention studies thus making it the

best nutritive sugar substitute with respect to cavities

prevention. Years after Finland stopped producing

xylitol, Finnish dentists noticed that there were fewer

cavities in the children whose teeth had erupted during

the sugar embargo of WWII. This was confirmed by

Business Opportunity Brief

Xylitol

sources. Lately technology has been developed to

extract xylitol from bagasse which has made the

commercial production of xylitol economically

feasible. Xylitol is also produced by fermenting an

aqueous solution containing xylose and other free

hexoses with a yeast strain. It may also be produced by

converting polysaccharides of Hemicellulose to

monosaccharides which on fermentation with a

hexose fermentation yeast and hydrogenation of the

aqueous medium produce xylitol. Another process for

the production of xylitol employs recombinant

microbial hosts. The production processes of xylitol

from pentosans and bagasse are briefly explained in

the following lines.

i) Xylitol from pentosans: Over the time,

different methods to produce xylitol from

pentosans or xylan have been used. In the

most commonly used process, the

synthesis of xylitol from natural products

is based on the chemistry of pentosans

occurring in many plants. Xylan, a

c o n s t i t u e n t o f p e n t o s a n , i s a

polysaccharide; this can be hydrolized

into D- xylose. Xylitol is produced as a

result of hydrogenation of xylose.

ii) Xylitol from Bagasse: This is relatively

new technology where xylitol is extracted

from bagasse, corn cob, rice and cotton

seed hulls, corn stalks or coconut shells.

Currently Taiwan and China are offering

technologies for extraction of xylitol from

bagasse. The Taiwanese manufacturing

process involves shredding of bagasse

into smaller particles (size: max. 1.5 cm

long) and removal of pith by thoroughly

washing with water to remove the

dissolved mineral matters. Drying of

bagasse reduces its moisture content to 10

percent and the ash content is maintained

at maximum 1 percent. Hydrochloric acid

liquor and bagasse are fed into a mixer and

are mixed thoroughly by agitation in a

stirred tank reactor and passed on to a

rotary kiln (autoclave) fitted with a school

feeder. The acid liquor and bagasse are

steam heated to 100-125°C with a

residence of 40-75 minutes in the rotary

kiln. This treatment helps in pre-


hydrolysis of hemicellulose content of a

bagasse. The output from the rotary kiln is

post-hydrolized continuously on a screen

conveyor where the mixture is sprinkled

with hot water (100°C) to leach the liquor.

The leached liquor is collected at conical

bottomed vessels placed under the screen

conveyor and is recycled. The post-

hydrolysis step completely extracts the

xylose content of bagasse. The

hydrolysate, collected at conical

bottomed vessels, containing 17-20% of

xylose, is taken up for xylose separation.

Water is removed from the spent bagasse

in a screw press and the residue is used for

pulp making.

In the Chinese process has little impact on

environment and does not produce any

waste gas. The waste dredge produce

during the process can be used as fuel or

culture for mushroom cultivation. After

neutralization, waste water can be drained

away or an aerobically treated if it

contains organic substances.

The World Scenario:

In the 1990s Danisco, the largest xylitol producer

from Denmark, identified xylitol for leverage in the

Asian chewing gum market. The firm launched a

'value network' to bolster awareness of the ingredient.

They talked to regulatory bodies, media, dentists,

universities et al to promote the product. Today 80 to

90 per cent of chewing gum sold in Asia has xylitol in

their formulations.

The start of 21st century saw tremendous growth

i n t h e p r o d u c t i o n a n dc o n s u m p t i o n o f

xylitol. Nowadays, ...Continued on page 13

Global Trade of Xylitol(HS Code 2905.4900) Value in US $ 000

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

343,356

396,362

370,293

306,332

322,297

385.193

460,192

461,890

210,072

288,038

Year Imports Exports

water of which slightly over two thirds is frozen in

glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining unfrozen

fresh water is mainly found as groundwater, with

only a small fraction present above ground or in the

air. For most nations, economic development is

inextricably linked to the availability and quality of

freshwater supplies.

l Although everyone uses water on a daily basis,

we often take this vital commodity for granted –

particularly in regions where there is natural

abundance of water. We must not forget that in many

regions the availability of water is a matter of life and

death. Now that we know there is limited fresh or

drinkable water available to us and equating this with

the uncertain water situation in Pakistan, it is time

that we all as citizens of Pakistan do some soul

searching as to how and why we use this scarce

natural resource so prolifically. We waste a lot of

water while doing our daily chores like brushing

teeth, do shaving, washing clothes, cleaning kitchen,

bath room or car porch and the list goes on. If only this

precious resource was priced rationally i.e.

consumption-based, all of us would take extreme

care in water usage. The present system, of no matter

how much water one uses, is billed the same amount

is simply criminal. Why the government is averse to

the idea of introducing proper household metering

system? Are we really that senseless? Till the time

sanity does not prevail, every individual should take

it upon himself to save water in every activity he

does.

The following measures would help conserve

significant amount of water in a every household:

l Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets.

Dripping faucets can waste about 2,000 gallons

of water each year. Leaky toilets can waste as

much as 200 gallons each day.

l By installing more efficient water fixtures and

regularly checking for leaks, households can

reduce daily per capita water use by about 35%

per day.

l To prevent water loss from evaporation, don't

water your lawn during the hottest part of the

day or when it is windy.

l Only run the dishwasher and clothes washer

An adage would help to begin this article in an

apt way - you can't manage what you don't measure.

This is true for the numerous wastages that are

ubiquitous in our society. It is difficult to gauge the

volume of wastages that our society generates at

every level; at least we can have fair idea of our

wasteful ways and the extent to which we add up our

costs through such activities.

The developed and developing economies are

transforming into zero-waste or sound material cycle

societies focusing more and more on reducing wastes

and reusing or recycling their precious resources. The

concept of zero-waste or sound material cycle society

is gaining good ground globally owing to its

possibility and paying off capability not only in terms

of saving precious resources like water, energy and a

host of other resources for our future generations but

also preserving the assimilating capacity of our

mother earth and the environment that has to bear the

waste and emission load of a rapidly growing

population that is all set to touch the 10 billion mark

by 2025.

Time

Time is the foremost thing that Pakistani people

are in the intrinsic habit of wasting, be it at home,

office or in industry. How much time do we waste

during the day? What particular things can we list

down as our main time wasters? Have we ever

calculated this time? Today, a normal person wastes

at least 5 to 6 hours watching futile debates and

political discourses that we starkly know would take

us nowhere let alone to mould our opinions. In

offices, procrastination takes its toll on our precious

time that we are allotted to use for economic uplift of

our country. Today, an individual at average wastes at

least 2 hours daily on long useless telephonic chats

and the very common gup shup over a cup of tea. Can

we afford such an attitude when our country's

economic outlook seems not so bright and calls for

dedicated time to be given to jobs assigned to us.

Water

Let us take the most precious natural resource

water now. Water is an essential commodity upon

which all life on Earth depends. Almost 97% of the

water on the Earth is salt water and only 3% is fresh


The Cost of Wastages!

Issue of the Month

when they are fully loaded.

l Defrost frozen food in refrigerator or in the

microwave instead of running water over it.

l When washing dishes by hand, use two basins -

one for washing and one for rinsing rather than

let the water run.

l Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean

sidewalks and driveways.

l If you have a swimming pool, get a cover. You'll

cut the loss of water by evaporation by 50

percent.

The other major dilemma this poor nation faces

is that God blesses it every year with plenty of rains

and it just watches the rain water meandering down to

oceans. It is a pity we do not want to have storage

dams and thus get devastated by floods every year.

Water in developed economies carries higher

price tag as compared to other cold drinks. These

countries have sound water management and

utilization policies in place with focus on price

rationalization, metering system, recycling and reuse

especially in industries. Pakistan needs to adopt such

policies to arrest depletion of world's most precious

resource.

ENERGY

Pakistan is in the grip of severe power crisis for

the last three years. This single issue alone is

gradually eating into our economic potential thereby

impeding industrial growth, eroding competitiveness

and rendering the whole nation lethargic. Instead of

taking this vital issue head on by putting it on top of

the slate, our economic managers and planners have

miserably failed to come up with a workable strategy

to manage the power shortage menace. Are we really

energy deficient or have a power shortage is a

question that is debatable but the real issue that is the

focus of this article is that can this crisis be simply

averted for the time being by educating the nation

about our energy saving potential and the ways and

measures through which we can control our

wastages. While our demand for energy will surely

grow at a faster pace moving forward, the present

shortfall that oscillates between 4000 to 5000 MW

during summers can be managed through measures

that are largely adoptable in households, industry,

offices and public places.

Firstly, the onus of burden lies heavily on the

government's shoulder for its gross negligence and

incompetence to understand the very basics of

energy management except for load shedding and

gas curtailment that it is very adept at. Look at

Pakistan's transmission and distribution losses

which are stated to be in the range of 33 to 35%

against global average normal range of around 10%.

In USA it is around 7% of net generation while in

India average T&D losses have been officially

indicated as 23%. Achieving at least the Indian

average can make Pakistan's energy situation better

by 10% that would roughly translate to around 1500

to 1800 MW taking our present net generation. Do

we then really need to go for one IPP or RPP of 1800

MW is simple mathematics? The second dilemma is

that a vast majority of high income and a sizable

majority of middle income strata of our society are

using UPS or diesel generators. Does the

government or its economic planners have the

slightest idea that a UPS draws about 3 units from the

system to regain one unit it delivered during the load

shedding hour? It will make an interesting study for

the planners to survey the number of UPS installed in

Pakistan and calculate the power wastage in

megawatts. As conservative estimate, a good 1000 to

1200 MW can be saved if all UPS's are removed

from the system. With these two measures alone

more than half of power shortage can be overcome.

Now think about the energy inefficient home

appliances, bulbs and tube lights, fans, refrigerators,

AC's, electric motors and pumps (both in industrial

and domestic use) and host of other electric devices

that we purchase and use without checking their

efficiency ratings or understanding the technical

data on their labels. The payback time for high priced

energy efficient electrical appliances and equipment

is unbelievable only if one knows how to measure or

know little bit of calculations.

Let us now review the situation in our

industries. Pakistani industries, at average, use two

to three times more energy to produce the same

output compared to industries in developed and


discount, buy one get one free and so on. The EU is

re-considering food policies in favor of thrift

programs. Products that remain on the shelves for

too long are sold at knockdown prices or given to

charities for free. Supermarkets are discouraged

from persuading people to buy more than needed.

The slogans have changed, urging people not to buy

three jars for the price of two but to buy no more than

needed. Consumers are encouraged to buy locally

produced foods.

Construction: Buildings, Roads and Mega

Projects

We are famous for delaying our mega projects

to an extent where the costs become double or triple.

Bureaucratic inefficiencies, corruption and absence

of project management application are major factors

responsible for wasting huge financial resources.

Take the examples of motorway, Kalabagh dam and

many more like these. Our buildings are still

constructed in ways that are highly energy

inefficient. By using the green building designs and

technologies up to 70 per cent electrical energy

could be saved and meet 90 per cent air-conditioning

demand. The government needs to enforce modified

building laws to ensure energy efficiency through its

regulatory bodies, particularly the city development

authorities.

Construction companies and the contractors

must learn and master latest techniques of

construction and usage of energy efficient

technologies to change the construction pattern to

ensure sustainable environmental management with

less consumption of energy.

And finally about our roads where we waste

huge amount of money by letting the small ditches

which could have been repaired at very little cost to

widen and deep till the entire road is to be laid again.

The above are some major examples of our

wasteful attitude as a nation. Can we or do we have

the will and sensibility to overcome this syndrome.

Think twice over it and let us resolve from this very

moment when you are about to finish reading this

article to change our mindsets for the better of this

poor nation.

newly industrialized economies. How long can our

industries afford to survive in this situation when

energy prices are bound to rise each year? Majority

of Pakistani industries use energy inefficient motors,

pumps and compressors and thus waste significant

amount of energy in the process. The potential for

energy efficiency gains in Pakistani companies is

therefore huge and needs to be utilized on priority

bases. More importantly, the preventive

maintenance aspect is more oftenly ignored which if

considered can reduce electrical operating costs by

10%, reduce electric motor repair costs by 50% and

reduce unplanned down time by50%.

The situation is not different when it comes to

utilization of natural gas. Pakistan is currently at

22nd position in natural gas production having

annual production of 37,500,000,000 m2 but has the

second-largest fleet of CNG vehicles (1.65 million)

in the world after Argentina (1.69 million). Such a

precious resource which should have been meant for

industry and domestic use is neither adequately

priced nor prudently used.

Agricultural Produce and Food

Pakistan wastes thousands of tons of

agricultural produce annually due to inefficient

post-harvest management techniques, poor

packaging and inadequate transportation and

storage infrastructure. In Pakistan, out of 13.674

million tons of fruits and vegetables produced

annually, it is estimated that about 35-40 percent

goes to waste. Moreover, food processing and

preservation is at very low scale resulting in huge

wastages of fruits and vegetables. At household

level, plate waste (food not consumed by the

purchaser) is a common phenomenon. People buy

and cook more than they actually consume and the

left over is thus dumped as garbage. The amount of

food thrown may be sufficient to feed all people

experiencing food shortages in Pakistan. UN experts

warn that careless and irresponsible attitudes to food

may lead to new crises. A total of 1.3 billion tons of

food, or one third of the globally produced volumes,

goes to rubbish dumps every year. In developing

countries, the loss is estimated over 630 million tons

of food. We need to change our food practices and

should not be encouraged to buy more through

supermarkets gimmicks. Buy three kilos – get a


Public Policy Review

Why to cry despite the availability of solutions?Construction of Efficient Buildings

walls (East & South) such as shades and reflective

paints etc. The modern buildings do not have shades

and any kind of fenestrations and the use of glass is

rather in abundance which is thin and is neither

double glazed nor insulated (two pane glass filled

with neutral gas). Our roofs are not covered with any

insulation material or lime or reflective paints. We do

not grow trees and plants close to sun facing walls

not to hinder the visibility of house. The water tanks

at roof tops are neither covered nor insulated.

Leakages in the window and door fittings are not

plugged with sealing or weather strips which leads to

ineffective cooling and heating(during winter). The

basement is constructed just to create additional

space for storage etc and not for living purpose.

Construction of apartment blocks is a cultural issue

and we hardly see flats in Punjab, KP , interior Sindh

and Baluchistan. Apartments are far more

comfortable and energy efficient buildings than

independent houses.

Case Study

The occupants of a large sized housing society

in Lahore containing around 2,500 independent

houses, during summer months( May-Sep) use at

least one air conditioner during day and 2 Acs during

night (with average dwellers of 5-6 per house). The

average minimum monthly bill of Rs 8,500-10,000

per house leads to summer months electricity cost

(purely on account of cooling) of around Rs 115

millions and which translates in to 0.8-1 megawatt

energy consumption (excluding the appliances and

other electrical goods). This middle class suburb of

Lahore contains houses which have been recently

constructed and are typical energy inefficient houses.

Prominent features of these houses include the large

covered areas, thin walls, plenty of large sized

unglazed thin glass windows, no consideration to sun

facing walls, water tanks providing water at half

boiling point, and no use of insulation material at

least in the walls.

And despite spending huge sums on cooling, the

occupants are far from having the comfort with the

money paid on electricity, which otherwise could

have brought to them, had their houses been energy

efficient.

Summer months i.e. May to September, bring

along lot of misery in Pakistan. Rising mercury,

expensive and frequently interrupted electric supply

and extreme discomfort leads to many emotional,

social and economic problems. These months have

historically observed low productivity, irritability in

human behaviour and low performance of students

and households. We do not have any control on

natural phenomenon as high temperatures have been

witnessed in this part of the world as far as we

remember.

However, extreme discomfort during the

summer months have been self created to a large

degree. Pakistan largely observes extreme hot

weather in most parts, comparing to extreme cold

which is limited to only few areas i.e. mainly the

northern parts of country. Summer comes with high

cost of cooling the houses and work places.

Comparing to winter (on heating), this cost is

enormous and have now become unbearable for a

great majority of people. We have to blame ourselves

for this extreme discomfort and high cost.

World over and in Pakistan, buildings (and

mostly houses), consume 25-30% of total energy

produced. Other prominent sectors are the transport

and industry. Around 80% of energy consumption is

on account of cooling in Pakistan. In olden days,

despite lack of technology and modern knowledge,

our ancestors were better off due to their climate

friendly construction designs and features. Thick

mud walls, high roofs, minimal and small sized

windows, consideration to sun facing walls, shades

and fenestration on doors and windows, use of

limestone in construction and minimum leaking

points in the walls, windows etc had rather made their

summers more comfortable than ours.

On the other hand we, whether living in cities or

rural areas, construct our house with a purpose of

ostentation rather than the real comfort. Houses are

built without any consideration of comfort to the

dwellings. The modern architecture in Pakistan

involves designs to cover most of the plot size by

constructing more rooms. To build a house in limited

budget, wall thickness is kept to minimum (9 inches),

putting more windows per room, covering 60-80% of

wall size and without any consideration to sun facing


...Continued on page 13

election race but she did

not give in.

A nd l e t ' s no t

forget that she did that

in an area where in

2008, three girls were

buried alive under a

tribal code that a Sardar

had defended openly.

Women like her truly represent the grit of

Pakistani society and are aplenty; doing their little

things for their and the rights of their communities

they live in. They are our silent “heroes” and serving

their cause dedicatedly. One hardly sees the civil

society representatives supporting such women

publicly while on every other issue, these so-called

liberals, specializing in holding placards, highlight

issues that could keep them “in the market.” These

are our five-star liberals and beat their drum in and

out of Pakistan to attract attention of the rich

philanthropic audience, mainly in the West to grow

their businesses of selling their pseudo liberalism that

they themselves define.

These armchair liberals have hijacked the

liberal discourse in Pakistan and their own stances are

hardly liberal. Most of them define liberalism in

terms of following the cosmetics of common Western

culture instead of following its true values. Mai Jori

alone dwarfs them all. She indeed made her people

and Pakistan proud by becoming a representative of

the poorest of poor and the most oppressed but there

is hardly any talk about her among liberal circles in

Pakistan. They do not discuss her because she exudes

hope in an otherwise gloomy society. Glamorize the

misery; ignore the hope and this is how you sell and

are seen as the saviour of Pakistani society. Mai Jori's

struggle is epic but she is conveniently forgotten

precisely for this reason that she gave hope, and not

despair. Hence, negligible, or no sales value!

Pakistanis find themselves tangled between the

extremists on the right and pseudo liberals on the left.

Neither of these represents the Pakistani people who

have never voted for ultra liberals as well as the right

wing extremists. The present social turmoil has its

Heroes & Hope

Mai Jori is My "Mai!”By: Mubashir Akram Butt

“The feudal and rich people have always

robbed ordinary people of their rights. They have

grown richer by the day while we have gone poorer.

Despite being from a poor family and illiterate, I have

decided to contest and would raise voice in favour of

the poor and oppressed.” Reads like a revolutionary,

doesn't it?

But she is no revolutionary.

She lost; she had to, because there was no way

she could beat Mir Nasir Khan Jamali or Mir Ataullah

Buledi, two stalwarts of the area. And especially

when political parties had granted tickets to

influentials considering them “more equal” and who

won by getting 27,316 votes and Mai Jori, only 491.

But she won from her village, Goth Ghulam

Muhammad Jamali.

Her defeat is less important than the fact that she

became the first ever woman from her community to

face the mighty Sardars and refused to budge. She

became a symbol of nonviolent political resistance

and her name would live on. On the other hand, the

schematics of her opponent were interesting. His men

threatened her, intimated her husband with false court

cases, offered him job and even “produced” Mai's

look-alike who announced to withdraw from the

Meet Mai Jori from the Balochistan Provincial

Assembly constituency PB-25, a stronghold of

Jamali Sardars. Threatened, advised against running

for office, pressured and finally joked at; she

persevered and contested the elections. A mother of

nine children with one physically- challenged

daughter, she belonged to a family. She did not

miss work for a single day, plied her donkey-cart both

for work and political campaign, and organized the

first ever 8-day long march with support of

the poor of her area from March 1–8. During the

march, she travelled from Gandakha to Osta

Muhammad and spoke the abovementioned words.

She contested election in a situation where a male

contestant from her community could have been

either killed or kidnapped. She did not flinch and

carried on campaigning. She collected her election

funds in her and accumulated nearly Rs30,000.

She starved and worked with her people for her

election.

hari

Huqooq

jholi



due to the facts that one-fifth of the population has

roots in other countries, that Swedes travel a great

deal, and that they speak other languages. The most

innovative country in the world, as highlighted by

numerous reports, is not only the home of inventors

and entrepreneurs but also a creative hub for fashion,

music and food.

Tourism in Sweden

The Arctic wilderness of the far north; ultra-cool

urban fashion shows; five-star culinary adventures –

tourism is Sweden's fastest-growing sector.

"Nature tourism" remains Sweden's biggest

attraction, with visitors from around the world drawn

by the country's stunning nature and untouched

wilderness.

Top of many travelers' wish list is Lapland, with

its unique scenery and once-in-a-lifetime

experiences such as the midnight sun, the aurora

borealis (northern lights), winter's deep, pure Arctic

chill and a mystical silence.

Contrasting with the solitude of the north is the

buzz and bright lights of Sweden's cities. The capital,

Stockholm, has long been famed for its idyllic setting

– sprawled across 14 islands – and its rich cultural

heritage. Today the city has also built a reputation as a

global center of dynamic design, cutting-edge

fashion, and innovative cuisine, music and art.

On the west coast, Sweden's second-largest city,

Gothenburg, has plenty to offer with its own flavor of

entertainment and cultural experiences.

Cosmopolitan and bustling Malmö, in the far

south of Sweden, forms part of a thriving

metropolitan region together with the Danish capital,

Copenhagen, with which it is linked by the mighty

Öresund Bridge.

Business with Sweden

The Swedish business climate is known for flat

organizational structures and managers who are not

afraid to roll up their sleeves. Business in Sweden is

constantly evolving, becoming more competitive —

but always with people and the environment in mind.

The future of Swedish business is said to lie primarily

in knowledge-intensive industries, where Sweden

can take advantage of its advanced technological

development, sophisticated infrastructure and high

general educational level. Information technology

(IT) and biomedicine are two such knowledge-

intensive sectors in which Sweden has been among

the global leaders for years.

During the 20th century, what is often described

as the "Swedish economic miracle" occurred. In the

space of a few decades, a poor agrarian country was

transformed into one of the world's most prosperous

and sophisticated industrial nations.

The foundation for this rapid growth was

northern Sweden's enormous wealth of forests, ore

and hydroelectric power, combined with a long series

of ingenious Swedish inventions such as the ball

bearing, the gas-powered beacon and the adjustable

wrench, to name only a few.

Even today, this kind of engineering brilliance

remains at the core of the Swedish business sector.

Look at IT inventions like Skype, that enables people

to call each other for free over the internet, and the

online music service Spotify.

Trade between Sweden and Pakistan

Bilateral trade between Sweden and Pakistan

dates back to the founding of Pakistan. During recent

years economic reforms, privatizations and

liberalization of trade have started to bear fruit. In

spite of the current difficult security situation the

economy as well as the external trade is now growing.

The value of Swedish export to Pakistan was approx.

SEK 2 805 million (USD 440 million) in 2010 and the

Pakistani export to Sweden amounts to approx. SEK

780 million (USD 120 million). It should also be

mentioned that Swedish international chain-stores

buy Pakistani goods for export to other markets than

Sweden.

Major Swedish export sectors are paper and

pulp, telecommunication equipment, machinery,

trucks, chemicals, metals and defense equipment.

Swedish multinational companies such as Ericsson,

Saab, Tetrapak, Volvo, ABB, Atlas Copco, Oriflame

and Alfa Laval dominate the Swedish exports.

Pakistan exports to Sweden consist mainly of

textile, garments, leather and sports goods. Ikea,

H&M and Lindex are major buyers of textile

products and have their own offices in Pakistan. The

following Swedish companies have made direct

investments in Pakistan: Tetrapak, Millicom, Saab

and GAC. Sweden and Pakistan have concluded

agreements on mutual protection of investments

(1981) and avoidance of double taxation (1986).


...Continued from page 15

xylitol is produced in many countries around the

world, such as Russia, Finland, France, Italy, India,

China etc. China has become the largest xylitol

production base and supplier in the world. Chinese

xylitol industry has witnessed significant

development from 2004 to 2007.

The above table depicts the global trade of

xylitol for last five years. In 2010, China, USA,

Finland, France and Italy were the top exporters

respectively whereas Japan, USA, Korea, Poland and

Canada were the top importer for the same period.

Recommendation:

Although the exports of xylitol came down in

2008 due to global economic crisis but it is now

picking up again and new manufacturers are also

entering the field and the global market is expected to

regain and grow by over 50 percent from 2010 as

more people become health-conscious.

The absence of any manufacturer of xylitol in

Pakistan offers an opportunity for the aggressive

entrepreneurs to capitalize on the opportunity.

Absence of competition in local market is an edge for

the early entrants in this field.



Solutions

1. Energy efficient construction of buildings

involving the features mentioned above. Initial

cost incurred on account of these features will

be paid back much earlier in the useful life of a

house (average useful life is 50-60 years).

2. Government may create awareness and

sensitivity on the issue and legislate the

“Building Energy Code (BEC)” without further

delay. The first BEC was drafted in 1997 and the

latest one during 2009, but the concerned

department i.e. Enercon has yet to submit it to

the government for its consideration despite

having a complete consensus of stakeholders.

3. The designers, builders, architects and the

municipalities to incorporate energy efficiency

features in the new construction and for the

retrofitting of present buildings for the houses,

commercial and government buildings.

4. Use of materials such as insulations, double

glazed and insulated glass, reflective paints,

efficient electrical appliances such as aircons,

H VA C s y s t e m s , r o o m c o o l e r s ,

gysers,appliances etc may be promoted by

standardizing such products which conform to

efficiency and quality criteria.

5. Government may Introduce an incentive regime

for the better compliance of energy Codes and

creating green buildings as a pilot in major cities

to stimulate a culture of energy efficiency in the

construction and building sectors.

About the Insulation Materials

The commonly used building insulation materials

contain lot of air spaces/cavities which hinder the

heat/cold movement by acting as a barrier to the flow

of molecules. Most of such materials are produced in

Pakistan and a large scale use will cut down their

prices due to better capacity utilization.

i. Polystyrene Boards: walls, floors and roofs

ii. Polyurethane Foam: Walls ,floors and roofs

iii.Reflective Paints: Sun facing walls and roofs

iv. Double Glazed Glass or Two Pane Glass filled

with gas

v. Spray of homemade solution on roof tops:

Homemade recipe (limestone, eating salt and

reasons and people are inundated with confusing

arguments from the right and left. In reality, both

these classes are selling their products and this selling

ironically unites them in a common vested interest to

keep Pakistanis confused. Just like other silent

Pakistani heroes, Mai Jori is hope and hope does not

confuse. It rather challenges the confusion and you

would not find her in the discourse of both right wing

extremists, and the liberals in Pakistan.


If you know of any unsung heroes please do let us know about them at

[email protected]


Nila Thotha)-this lowers temperature by 5-6

degrees

vi. Mud and additional brick layer at the roof top.

Company in Focus

PINFO – Your resource from Pakistan's popular media

WHY PINFO? Pakistan is an important

country not only in the region but also in the world.

The country has a history of staying on the forefront

of important geo—strategic issues and hence, there

has always been a need to know and report more

about the country. Newspapers make an important

source of information that the reporting officers,

observers, researchers, commentators, and think

tanks etc all generally refer to while covering various

issues of their interest on Pakistan. While many

interested may refer to the English print media but

realistically, the English print media does not

represent the sentiment of the general masses and the

direction of the popular discourse on the Pakistani

street. In addition, access of the English print media is

extremely limited as compared to the Urdu language

print media that reaches every village, town and city

of Pakistan. English print is, on the other hand,

termed as a media of Pakistan's 8 big cities. PINFO

translates the Urdu language news items, editorials,

columns in English by keeping the sentiment, flare

and flavour that is peculiar to Urdu print media.

WHAT IS PINFO? PINFO is a source from

Pakistan's popular Urdu print media. They cover

Pakistan's top three Urdu newspapers that have a

combined circulation of over a million copies per day

while the total circulation of all of the English

language newspapers and journals is less than just the

circulation of Daily Jang! Urdu print is the media that

genuinely depicts the street sentiment and truly

conveys as to what exactly is shaping up people's

opinions on various national, regional and global

issues. Also worth noting is the fact that the number

of articles in the Urdu papers is much bigger than the

English print.

WHAT DOES ITS SUBSCRIPTION

OFFER? PINFO connects the subscriber with

Pakistan's popular Urdu print media but in English

language. All data on PINFO is categorized in 20

important categories e.g. Balochistan, FATA,

Defence, Economy, Politics, Parliament, Law &

Order, Security & Terrorism, Diplomatic,

Afghanistan, Disaster, Development, Judiciary

etc.

PINFO offers completely customizable tools of

search and printing to give you precisely what

subscriber is looking for. For example, typing

“Parliament” in Google would give all kinds of links

largely offering irrelevant information while typing

the same word in PINFO would return only the

relevant and referenced information on Pakistan. One

can further narrow down the search by using the

Advance Search option to search within the 20

categories on PINFO.

The Subscriber would get all the information

referenced on PINFO. Everything that appears on

PINFO is supported with physical proof that would

be available whenever required – free of any charge.

PINFO also maintains the physical archives for a

period of 10 years while the e-archives would stay on

site. After the period of 10 years, the physical

archives would then be microfilmed but would never

be wasted.

PINFO translates important parts of the news

items, columns and editorials and brings sense of the

masses to its subscribers. It is an excellent support for

reporting and briefing notes on nearly all important

Pakistani issues.

PINFO also provides customized solutions for

thematic print media monitoring from any part of

Pakistan and any regional language (translated in

English).

Based in Islamabad, PINFO is a source from

Pakistan's popular Urdu print media, translated in

English language.

Subscribe to PINFO and GET CONNECTED

with the real and popular Pakistani media! For more details, please contact:

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Director/Cofounder

Cell: 0092300 534 9999.

Email: [email protected]

Skype: mubashir.akram


Country Profile

KINGDOM OF SWEDEN

higher education,

which are partly

funded by the

g o v e r n m e n t ) ,

h e a l t h c a r e i s

cheap, childcare is

universal and the

streets are clean –

but there is still the opportunity to control your own

economic destiny.

The driving forces behind “the Swedish model”

were the Social Democratic Party and the trade

unions, although it has its roots in the 19th century

when “poor relief laws” were passed. There is greater

privatization in the healthcare sector

and the number of private schools is

growing rapidly. But not even

parties on the right of the political

spectrum talk of dismantling the

welfare state, as Sweden's voters

would simply not stand for it.

Swedish Lifestyle

The Swedish lifestyle brings

together a love of nature, good

housing, environmental thinking

and lots of culture – all tied up with

awareness of health and a strong

sense of equality. Efficiency is

combined with a laid-back attitude,

and old traditions blended with

openness for new technologies.

Swedes in general work hard but

treasure their free time and enjoy long relaxing

holidays.

The Swedish lifestyle varies greatly with the

seasons. During the darker winter months, there are

lights in the windows, evenings in the cinema, and

winter sports during the day. In spring and summer,

life is lived outdoors: music festivals, outdoor theatres

and open-air museums are popular. Not only are the

flowers blooming, the Swedes themselves are too.

Traditions such as June's Midsummer and

December's Lucia are of great importance to Swedes

and are celebrated just as enthusiastically today as

they have been for generations. This sense of heritage

is mixed with an open-mindedness for other cultures,

l Full name: Kingdom of Sweden

l Population: 9.4 million (UN, 2011)

l Capital: Stockholm

l Area: 449,964 sq km (173,732 sq miles)

l Major language: Swedish

l Major religion: Christianity

l Life expectancy: 80 years (men), 84 years

(women) (UN)

l Monetary unit: 1 Swedish krona = 100 ore

l Main exports: Machinery and transport

equipment, paper products, chemicals

Land and History

Sweden is the 3rd largest EU

country in land area, after France

and Spain and is the homeland of the

Germanic ethnicity and culture. The

Goths, the Suevirs and the Norses

(Vikings) all trace their origin back

to Sweden (as well as Norway and

Denmark for the latter).

In the 9th and 10th centuries,

Swedish Vikings invaded and

settled in parts of Eastern Europe as

far as Constantinople and the

Caspian Sea. They founded the first

kingdom of Russia. All the Tsars of

Russia until the last one, Nicholas II,

were of Swedish Viking descent.

As of 2006, Sweden had won

588 (winter and summer) Olympic

medals, a feat only excelled by 6 much more populous

countries (the USA, the USSR, Italy, France, Germany

and the UK).

Swedish Society

Sweden remains one of the most egalitarian

countries in terms of income distribution, and has one

of the world's lowest levels of poverty. It's no surprise

that Sweden consistently appears near the top of the

Human Development Index, which ranks countries

according to life expectancy, education and standard

of living.

Sweden has succeeded in creating a balance

between social equality and economic success.

Education is free (except for nursery schools and




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