Industry and Manufacturing Mastung
Introduction
District Mastung has no big industries. Until a few years ago there was a cement factory, but it has closed down. There is some cottage industry for Balochi chappals (shoes), carpets and embroidery and there are three stone crushing units.
Small Enterprise Development (SME)
The district has much potential for small enterprise development, such as shoes, carpets, wooden products, Balochi embroidery etc. The people manufacture these items at home and mostly sell them in the local market. At present, there are 139 small enterprise units functioning in the district.
Manufacturing
There is no major manufacturing industry in the district. There are ten shoe workshops. Other manufacturing activities fall under cottage industry. One of these is embroidery, which is done by women and girls. Embroidery work include embroidery on leather shoes and belts. Carpentry takes place on very small scale.
Trade (import/export)
All goods are produced on a very small scale. Brokers (commission agents) purchase the goods from the manufacturers at low prices and sell it in the main market from where they are exported. Surplus agricultural commodities are traded to other provinces, particularly Karachi. Goods from other provinces are brought into the district. There are no data available on specific imports and exports.
Tourism
Hazarganji National park is an important picnic spot in the district. Lack pass and Sangti can also be developed as picnic spots. Mastung has various places which could be developed for tourism. For example, Shahi Bagh is an important archaeological site from the Mughal period.
Handicrafts
The traditional handicrafts include embroidery work on coats, shoes, caps, leather and women’s and children’s shalwar and kameez. Embroidery work is carried out by women and girls as traditional activity in every house. In case they sell their work, they sell it to middlemen, but sometimes it is bought by NGOs which sell it through exhibitions.
Directorate of Small and Industries
The Directorate of Small Industries has only few activities in the district, though the area has much potential if some basic technical know-how and financial assistant were provided.
GO/NGO/SME, etc. involvement in Industrial Development
|
Coverage Commercial Services |
Local Govt. |
Prov. Govt. |
Fed. Govt. |
NGO |
Internat. Donor |
Private Entr. |
||
|
Vocational Training |
- |
x |
- |
- |
- |
x |
||
|
Management Training |
- |
x |
- |
- |
- |
- |
||
|
Acquisition |
- |
- |
- |
x |
- |
- |
||
|
Public Relations |
- |
x |
- |
- |
- |
xx |
||
|
Credit |
- |
x |
- |
x |
- |
x |
||
|
Marketing |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
xx |
||
|
Legend: |
- x xx xxx |
no involvement minor involvement substantial involvement major involvement |
||||||
Conclusion and major Development Issues
No major industry is functioning in the area. There are some small scale activities, most of which are cottage industries. Government support is very little in this sector, though the cottage industries have much potential for development. Fore example, embroidery could be produced on a larger scale for export purposes if marketing facilities were developed. In addition, the fruit processing activities could be developed in the district.