Not Enough Cooks To Make The Broth!

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

There is cause for celebration among all the respectable citizens of Pakistan & China, because the first concrete step towards joint economic progress has been taken, in the form of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Nearly US$50 billion of Chinese investment has been made official, with the first projects slated to show results as early as 2017. Considering the enthusiastic interest that the world has shown in the Belt & Road Initiative, it is reasonable to assume that the CPEC will prove the first & most significant global demonstration that both Pakistan & China are world-class business centers.

The Pakistan Food Industry - A Pretty Kettle Of Fish

It is said that the way to a person's heart (or wallet) is through his stomach.

But what does that mean for the Pakistan food industry? Other than a few outrageously expensive restaurants in Karachi, Lahore & Islamabad, & a handful of Food Streets scattered around the country, where can a citizen of the world find a decent international menu? Case in point: I don't think there are more than a dozen chefs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who know how to make any dish other than the local stuff. Nearly all the bakeries around here seem as though they have never heard of a decent muffin, or taken cognizance of the fact that not everyone is crazy for margarine; some people like factory-made butter, too.

Granted that due to the combination of abject poverty & the recent epidemic of Sick Building Syndrome during the last decade & a half, people around here are not particularly interested in fancy food. Most of them are just thankful if they get to choke down enough to keep body & soul together. I know how they feel. But, for instance, I have heard that different varieties of soup can do wonders to keep nutrition levels adequately above death bed levels, while combating the "unexplained' attacks of nausea, anorexia or diarrhea that seem to appear & disappear without any medical explanation. But where is a classy local or homesick foreigner to find somebody who can make such things even in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa itself?

The Multinationals Are In Hot Soup, Too

The default solution to any market problem in Pakistan is: Open a branch of a multinational brand wherever the authorities are about to be put to shame before the world for the lack of facilities. But, that is no longer a viable solution (at least in the food sector) either.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is not doing well since months. Its market share has been steadily declining since last year. Indeed times are so desperate that KFC has been trying to break into the pub business by selling beer since January.

McDonald's (MCD) sales are in free fall. Sales are sliding so fast that MCD had already closed 350 stores in the first quarter of this year & has admitted that it intends closing another 350 by the end of the year.

Tesco (TSCO) is facing an approximately US$20 billion deficit & is facing a greater financial crisis than it has in almost a century. So, even though it has at least one outlet in Lahore, it is unlikely that expansion plans are on the cards.

Walmart (WMT) has been facing financial problems since at least 3 months. Their stock prices - both current & future - are dipping & layoffs are in full swing (currently at 2,200 in the US alone). Things definitely didn't improve when the news broke of mobile meth labs being run in the aisles of Walmart's US stores. Therefore, they are not expected to be considering opening any more branches beyond the one in Karachi.

The Salad Bowl Theory

The Silk Road was such a success in ancient times, because everybody's viewpoint & culture was considered worthy of respect. People were expected to trade in goods, services & knowledge; but the lens through which each individual viewed life was entirely his own business.

For instance the aromatic wheat of Haripur & the sweet tomatoes of Peshawar are world famous to this day. But every person who partakes of these blessings should be free to choose how he would like them prepared.