By Commerce Reporter
LAHORE: Pakistan Chemical Expo 2026 commenced today with a grand inauguration ceremony led by President Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) Faheem ur Rehman Sehgal, Chairman Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA) Haroon Ali Khan, Chief Executive Officer of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Faiz Ahmed Chadhar, and Vice President FPCCI Zaki Ejaz, alongside leading industrialists, policymakers, investors, academia, and stakeholders from across the chemical and allied sectors.
The two-day international event is being held under the theme “Where Industry Meets Chemistry”. Recognized as Pakistan’s premier platform for the chemical industry, the Expo brings together manufacturers, traders, technology providers, researchers, investors, and policymakers to explore opportunities for industrial growth, innovation, sustainability, and international collaboration.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, LCCI President Faheem ur Rehman Sehgal emphasized that Pakistan’s chemical industry has emerged as one of the most strategic sectors of the national economy, supplying essential raw materials to textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, construction, packaging, automotive, paints, detergents, consumer goods, and numerous manufacturing industries. Pakistan possesses immense potential to transform its chemical sector from an import-dependent industry into a globally competitive manufacturing and export-oriented sector.
PCMA Chairman Haroon Ali Khan stated that with a domestic chemical and petrochemical market estimated at over USD 14 billion annually and a significant portion of industrial chemical demand being met through imports, substantial opportunities exist for import substitution, value addition, and export-oriented industrial growth. Through targeted industrial policies, technology transfer, investment facilitation, and the establishment of a world-scale Naphtha Cracker and Petrochemical Complex, Pakistan can achieve approximately USD 5 billion in import substitution and generate more than USD 2 billion in additional exports within the next five years. He further added that the chemical industry is not merely another industrial sector it is the foundation upon which modern manufacturing economies are built. Every major industrial nation has invested heavily in petrochemicals because they serve as the backbone of industrial growth, innovation, and exports,” he remarked.
CEO TDAP Faiz Ahmed Chadhar highlighted Pakistan’s strategic potential to emerge as a regional manufacturing and trade hub. He emphasized that stronger collaboration between industry, government institutions, and investors can unlock new opportunities for exports, foreign direct investment, and industrial diversification. He reiterated TDAP’s commitment to supporting initiatives that enhance Pakistan’s presence in global value chains.
Industry experts participating in the Expo observed that major economies including China, South Korea, India, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore have leveraged integrated petrochemical infrastructure to support industrialization, exports, and high-value manufacturing. Similar investments in Pakistan could facilitate greater self-reliance, strengthen supply chains, attract investment, and support long-term industrial development. Participants were informed that development of an integrated petrochemical value chain could generate over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs, attract billions of dollars in local and foreign investment, and support downstream industrial output exceeding USD 50 billion over the next decade.
