Punjab targets $7bn export boost, 162,000 jobs under Rs2tr plan

November 02, 2026 (MLN): Punjab has costed a three-year economic transformation plan at Rs1,995 billion for FY2026-27 to FY2028-29, aiming to shift the province from raw output to value-added, export-led production. The Punjab’s Innovation for Value, Opportunity and Transformation (PIVOT) plan carries Rs1,089bn in government investment and Rs906bn in expected private-sector leverage.
Source: PIVOT

The plan targets $6.8bn in incremental export potential, 162,000 additional jobs and a skilled workforce of over 850,000. Provincial GDP growth is projected at 5.5pc in FY27, 5.6pc in FY28 and 5.9pc in FY29, against baselines of 4.1pc, 4.6pc and 5.0pc, adding about 100 basis points to the three-year average.

Cumulative uplift is Rs1,792bn in real terms and about Rs3,947bn in nominal terms. Punjab contributes 55.7pc of national GDP and is home to 127.7 million people.

Source: PIVOT

Industry enablers take the largest share of the investment.

Under the enablers, common effluent treatment plants at four industrial clusters will add 70 million gallons per day of capacity to meet EU and US wastewater standards, with Rs25bn earmarked. Rs35bn will develop five industrial estates, including a 2,000-acre estate near the M-4 Motorway under public-private partnership.

The Sanati Taraqqi and Export Promotion financing facility, backed by a Rs193bn interest subsidy, offers concessional loans at 0pc, 3pc and 5pc across three tiers, targeting 463 projects and Rs300bn in private investment. Two Rs50bn accelerators will fund duty reimbursement and on-site solar for investors in two industrial estates and four agro-processing parks.
Source: PIVOT

Eight export sectors receive Rs30.1bn, led by textiles and apparel at Rs13.3bn, which includes plug-and-play garment parks expected to create 20,000 jobs. Others include leather, pharmaceuticals, sports goods, cutlery, ceramics, fans and floriculture, mainly through testing laboratories and certification support.

In agriculture, Rs135bn is set aside for mechanisation, Rs60bn for four agro-processing parks in Sargodha, Khanewal, Okara and Bhakkar, and Rs20bn for wheat silos to address a 20-25 MMT storage gap.

Livestock financing at 6-month KIBOR plus 1pc includes an FMD-free zone at Bahawalnagar, with meat exports targeted to rise 200pc. Aquafarming includes three shrimp estates worth Rs50.3bn in Muzaffargarh and Sargodha.

The plan also allocates Rs471bn to eight tourism circuits under PPP mode, with a target of 18-30 million tourists. Skilling Punjab is to train 162,060 additional domestic and 240,000 international trainees, lifting annual remittances by USD 468m. The Tech Talent Ecosystem targets 1.5 million annual frontier-tech graduates and 1,200 startups.
Source: PIVOT

On governance, a single coordinating body would replace more than 15 inspection agencies, cutting the current 40-50 visits per factory to one risk-based quarterly inspection. The plan also provides for a review of labour laws and stamp duty on bills of exchange, and a land lease policy for special economic zones.

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