Local mobile phone production was hit hard in January. According to the news, local manufacturing facilities in Pakistan produced 0.87 million mobile phones during January 2023 instead of 0.07 million commercially imported in the same month.
According to data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the number of locally built mobile phones included 0.56 million 2G and 0.3 million smartphones.
Last year in January 2022, Pakistan collected nearly 1.53 million devices. On the contrary, this year production decreased by 43%.
As we know the economic condition of Pakistan is in a very bad side and every company and sector is suffering a lot due to inflation and high prices of essential products. Hence, mobile companies also faced a significant downturn.
According to the analysis, consumer price inflation in Pakistan jumped to 31.5% in February 2023. This is the highest rate since June 1974.
At the same time, the effects of last year’s devastating flood have intensified economic difficulties. The government of Pakistan is constantly trying to cope, but the situation is worsening day by day.
This has affected not only the mobile sector, but further cost growth in all components. The transport sector suffered by 50.5% against. 39.1% in January—housing and housing 13.4% vs. 7.8%, culture and recreation 48% against. 44.1%. The analysis shows that each sector has its own circumstances.
However, the month-on-month drop was even bigger, more drastic, as the number of mobile phones dropped by a huge amount, i.e. more than 61%, compared to the 2.24 million phones produced in December 2022.
However, it is important to note that in 2022, local manufacturing companies assembled 21.94 million phones. Compared to 2021, which was 24.66 million. The decrease is mainly due to import restrictions.
Mobile import
In the first seven months of the fiscal year 2022-2023, Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $414.801 million, down 67.35% from the $1.270 billion imported in the previous year.
Moreover, Pakistan Statistics Bureau (PSB) data shows that the month-on-month import of mobile phones increased by 28.12% to reach $51.960 million in January 2023. Compared to $72.291 million in December 2022.
Earlier, when the country’s economic condition was stable in 2022, the EDB’s mobile device manufacturing policy focused on developing local mobile device manufacturing in Pakistan. However, the aim was to create an attractive environment for investors in line with the government’s ‘Make in Pakistan’ policy.
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