KARACHI, Nov 24: Japanese investors in Karachi want further improvement in port facilities, better and comfortable access to port from the city and night navigation at the Port Qasim where they were shown a 200-acre plot, to be developed as an exclusive Japanese business zone.

“The Pakistan-Japan Business Forum (PJBF) was promised land in 2006,’’ Majyd Aziz, vice chairman of the forum, recalled after a detailed presentation and on-site inspection visit at the Port Qasim on Monday.

He was part of a 14-member team that was briefed by senior executives of the Port Qasim Authority on Monday on available facilities and development plans being taken up to further expand capacity and facilities at the port.

PJBF chairman Kader Jaffer is looking for “at least a 500-acre plot’’ at Port Qasim to develop the proposed Japanese business enclave. He was in Tokyo only last week with seven other businessmen and professionals as co-chairman of a joint study group on Japanese investment in Pakistan.

“The report has almost been finalised and after a review of the draft by the members of the PJBF in Pakistan and Japan, it would be given to both the governments,’’ Kader Jaffer informed on telephone.

The PQA is offering 200 acres at Rs4 million an acre and the total cost would come to around Rs800 million.

A follow-up meeting on disposal of the land would be held between PJBF leaders, PQA and finance, industry and ports and shipping officials by the middle of next month.

“The port now handles about 42 per cent of country’s sea cargo while Karachi port handles 52 per cent and the remaining six per cent is handled by the small ports of the country,’’ Majyd Aziz said.

He said the PQA authorities gave them a detailed briefing to inform that by 2011 the port would be handling 50 million tons of cargo.

“The access channel to the harbour is being dredged to deepen it further so that bigger ships of 75,000 DWT could be brought to port,’’ he said.

Japanese want night navigation facilities at the Port Qasim for which a lot of investment would be needed.

In implementation of its various development programmes, the Port Qasim is faced with levy of heavy taxes and duties on machines and equipment.

“Hardly three international airlines touch Pakistani airports,’’ Majyd Aziz said who wondered the civil aviation and airport authorities enjoy concessions in taxes and duties on import but ships have to wait for long in open seas.

His plea was that the government should give due priority to sea ports development also which is vital for growth of trade.

The PJBF team was informed that 125 industrial units in Port Qasim are in production and 210 industrial projects are in different stages of production. The PJBF plans to have its executive committee meeting with the chairman of the Board of Investment, Salim Mandviwala, immediately after Eid.