S Pakistan seeks to revitalise its economy through structural reforms and industrial diversification, one critical sector remains largely overlooked: the transformation of raw minerals into value-added chemicals. This transition, already well underway in many resource-rich economies, could becomea cornerstone of Pakistan`s longterm industrial and export strategy.

With substantial deposits of copper, chromite, gypsum, rock salt, and rare earth elements, Pakistan is well-positioned to lead in mineral-based industrial development. Yet, the vast majority of these valuable resources is still exported in unprocessed form. This practice not only squanders national value, but also keeps the country trapped in a low-revenue, low-technology export model.Pakistan`s exports continue to rely heavily on textiles and a handful of low-tech categories. In contrast, the global economy is increasingly driven by high-value supply chains from electric vehicle batteries and green energy technologies to advanced fertilisers and specialty chemicals.

The mineral sector offers a clear path to diversifying our export base; it is capital-intensive, technologically rich, and in growing global demand. Countries that have industrialised around their mineral wealth such as Chile (copper refin-ing), Morocco (phosphate chemicals), and China (rare earths) have secured stable, long-term export markets while building domestic technical capacity and employment.

Unlike many sectors that require long incubation periods and complex ecosystems, the mineral industry is a low-hanging fruit. Thanks to our existing resource base, mineral value chains can be activated relatively quickly. With the right infrastructure -roads, rail links, reliableenergy, and mineral-specific processingzones-projectscanbecome operational within 18 to 36 months.

This is particularly critical for a country like Pakistan, which faces persistent fiscal pressure and urgently needs to generate foreign exchange. Strategic investment in mineral economic corridors and processing clusters especially near resource-rich regions could unlock rapid export growth, stimulate regional development, and ease logistical bottlenecks.

Pakistan must move beyond exporting dust and start exporting development. This means targeting the global market not with bulk ores, but with finished chemicals and specialty materials such as lithium compounds, rare earth oxides, phosphoric acid, and high-grade industrial salts.

The economic rationale is unambiguous: the global chemical industry is valued at over $5 trillion, while unprocessed minerals constitute less than 5 per cent of that value. By upgrading its industrial capacity, Pakistan can claim a far greater share of this high-margin market.

This transformation would also broaden the tax base, enhance fiscal revenues for both federal and provincial governments, and embed Pakistan deeper into global supply chains.

The world market is ready and Pakistan`s mineral sector is ready to meet it. With smart policy, infrastructure investments, and a focus on export value chains, Pakistan can shift from being a commodity supplier to a value-added exporter.

The mineral sector is our low-hanging fruit: ripe for development, fast to scale, and vital for economic transformation. Thus, the question is no longer whether we can but whether we will. •