Mansehra District
Trend Analysis
Demographics | 1998 | 2017 |
Area SqKms | 4579 | 4579 |
Population | 1152839 | 1556460 |
Population Density / SqKm | 252 | 340 |
Urban Population | 61373 | 87657 |
Rural Population | 1091463 | 1587654 |
Total Housing Units | 172040 | 239275 |
Housing Units having Electricity | 84478 | 115647 |
Housing Units Having Piped Water | 45201 | 95433 |
Housing Unit using Gas for cooking | 5891 | 9876 |
Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
Outline
Mansehra has a total area of 4579 sq.km with a population size of 1,556,460 which comprises of 49% (approx.) male and 51% female population. The area has seen a population growth of approximately 26% in the last 19 years.
Prima-facie, the economic development model for district of Mansehra seems to rest on it becoming a Hub of Fruit products, Dairy and Livestock products,’ and Logistics for CPEC traffic’. This is in addition to its well-recognized Tourism Destination. A combination of the above will hold Mansehrain good-stead, and give the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa an economically sustainable future.
Mansehra district has the highest forest area in the province with 332,252 hectares and it can utilized to earn carbon credit (source Crop Statistics 2015-16 by Agriculture Department GoKP).
Mineral reserves of Granite (8 billion tons), Marble reserves (468 million tons), Chromite, Coal, Dolomite, Feldspar, Limestone and Soap stone are also extracted in huge quantity (KP Bureau of Statistics report 2012-13).
1. Fruit Supply and Processing Zone
Mansehra district has all the necessary characteristics to become one of the major Fruit Supply and Processing regions in the country, owing to following features:
- A variety of fruits are produced in Mansehra and surrounding districts including Apple, Peaches, Persimmon, Pear, Plums and Apricot.
- The moderate summer climate of Mansehra provides additional opportunity to crop fruits like strawberries and citrus.
- Mansehra district falls right on CPEC route, which places it in ideal position to supply fruits not only locally, but also to China, Central Asia and Middle East.
To realize the said objective, the Provincial administration may take following steps;
- Establish Industrial Estate specifically having cluster designed for fruit processing:
- Provision on plots on suitable rates and basic utilities, i.e. electricity, gas, insurance, security etc.
- A small scale power generation unit.
- Research and Development Lab.
- Technical and Vocational Center.
- Cold Storage facilities.
- Security system.
- Invite firms that specialize in fruit packaging and making juices, vinegar, squashes, marmalades, jams, jellies, pickles etc.
- Secretariat of Commerce can facilitate the farmers/growers in establishing new linkages with foreign buyers, in Middle East, Central Asia, China and Eastern Europe –– since these regions would now be more easily connected to Mansehra via CPEC and corresponding OBOR trade network.
- ’Private regulated markets’ can be introduced in the region, which not only can increase the productivity of fruits but would also benefit both consumers and sellers. For this, these steps are needed to be taken:
- Streamline the management structure.
- Educate the farmers and distributors about the value of hygiene and value addition, and ensure they provide quality products.
- Promote gradual institutional development.
- Avoid rigidities of predetermined, fixed staff.
- Make revenue collection automatic.
- Investments to improve common infrastructure and facilities should be a continual process.
2. Trucking and Logistic Hub
As mentioned before, Mansehra is located right on main CPEC route and in upcoming decade, it is estimated that approximately 30,000 freight trucks are going to pass through the district daily once the route is fully functional. Which means it can be turned into a major Logistic Hub for entire region.
In order to make that happen, K-P Government can take the following route:
- Establish a modern Trucking and Logistic Park with facilities like
- Overnight parking space for 500-1000 trucks.
- Automobile repair and maintenance shops.
- Light engineering units to support transportation related activities.
- Restaurants and Motels for drivers and business tourists.
- Transport handling setup including highways and telecommunication infrastructure needs to be remodeled and upgraded in order to accommodate incoming CPEC traffic.
3. Dream Tourism Destination
Mansehra districts is a proud owner of some of the exotic summer destination spots in Pakistan, such as Naran, Kaghan, Lake Saiful Malook, Ansoo Lake etc. These places are ideal for business, ecological and adventure tourism and potential revenue from aforementioned sector could really change the destiny of the entire region. However, in order to tap into this potential, some serious works need to be done by the KP government, in coordination with Tourism Department. This includes the following:
- Identify new locations for building of quality TCKP Guest houses and camping sites for tourists in the area, and upgrade the existing ones.
- Open tenders and invite private hospitality businesses to open their setups in the area, such as Serena, Avari, PC and Hilton etc.
- Identify areas for construction of family theme parks, adventure parks and chair lifts etc. in these villages and invite private sector for investment.
- Conduct research on other areas of the district and identify potential spots where feasible tourist resorts can be constructed in the long-run.
- Promote tourism for Mansehra through promotion campaigns on TCKP website and Television Ads.
4. Dairy and Livestock Products
Mansehra has an untapped development potential in Dairy and Livestock business, having the largest collection of farm animals at its disposal. There are about 0.76 million farm animals, cattle, buffalos, sheep and goats (Livestock Department census 2006). Consequently, the milk production from this region is also among the highest in the province –– with daily production of 4.2 million liters and 890 million liters annual production. Given the close proximity with Afghanistan Central Asian States and possibly China, where there is shortage of Livestock and high demand of dairy items, Mansehra is ideally placed to become a small regional hub of livestock that can fulfil the demands of aforementioned states.
To exploit this trade potential of livestock from Mansehra, the Government of KP can take following initiatives:
- Setup modern facilities to facilitate the growth of this sector;
- A modern research institute on Veterinary Sciences, in collaboration with Agriculture University Peshawar. Cooperation in this regard can also be sought from New Zeeland and Australia.
- A butchery with meat processing facilities.
- Cold storage facilities for storing milk and meat
- A training institute for farmers and cattle herders where seminars and workshops for them is regularly arranged.
- Invite local and foreign investors to install state of the art farm amenities
- Nestle, Engro Foods etc. can be invited to setup their plants
- These companies would also be asked to train the local community on cattle raising.
5. Investment Opportunities In Hydropower Projects
As per PEDO reports regarding investment opportunities in KP, the following sites in Mansehra district present opportunities for hydropower investment.
- Naran Hydropower project- 188 MW capacity (feasibility study completed)
- Bata Kundi hydropower project – 96 MW capacity (feasibility study completed)
- Saiful Maluk Katha project – 7.43 MW capacity (semi raw site)
- Nila da Katha project – 2.47 MW capacity (semi raw site) (Source: http://pedo.pk/Main/ppre/6)
- Bhimbal Katha project – 7.86 MW capacity (semi raw site) (Source: http://pedo.pk/Main/ppre/6)
6. SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
- A hub of Fruit, Dairy and Livestock products and Logistics for CPEC traffic
- Mansehra is located right on main CPEC route and in upcoming decade, about 30,000 freight trucks are going to pass through the district daily.
- Owner of some of the exotic summer destination spots in Pakistan
- 0.76 million farm animals – daily production of 4.2 million liters and 890 million liter annual production
Opportunities
- Resorts and Hoteling businesses could be opened to entertain tourists.
- Mineral Processing zones could be established to generate sufficient revenue.
- The area under forest could be offered to international companies for carbon trading, through competitive bidding process.
- Owing to a higher literacy rate and eminent educational institutions scientific societies and research centers could be developed in this district.
7. Conclusion
Mansehra can generate revenue from dairy and livestock products; as it is the largest producer of dairy products in the province. The district has also a viable tourism sector due to its beautiful scenery. Investors can generate revenues by establishing Livestock and Dairy processing facilities and also by building hotels in the district. Hydropower potential, dimension stone quarrying and processing in the district is also another component on which the district economy can rely and develop projects.