This article is about Asif Ali Gohar, a Pakistani, Who was born in Karachi, the city of Pakistan and resides in Germany
Like many other countries in the Asian block, Pakistan is a developing country with a thriving economy, full of opportunities. The industrial sector of Pakistan generates 28% of the GDP of the country. Textile and apparel manufacturing is the largest segment of industrial processes but the industry is not limited to it as it also includes surgical instrument units, chemical factories, and a newfound automotive industry. However, the textile industry continues to dominate the rest and holds great potential as it contributes a whopping 15.4 billion US dollars of exports. Consequently, it is a source of employment for 45% of the total workforce in the country. Asif Ali Gohar wants to use this potential and produce rice-based vegan leather.
While industrial processes generate a substantial amount of GDP in Pakistan, it is primarily an agricultural-based economy. It is one of the largest producers of rice in the South Asian region and is also the 8th largest exporter of rice in the world. Asif Ali Gohar wants to reform two of the most prominent sectors of Pakistan, the rice sector and the textile industry by initiating the production of vegan leather. Asif Ali Gohar is a well-known German entrepreneur who is famous in the Atlantic Isle for his innovative ideas and creative mindset. Asif is a vegan and has been working on finding alternatives to leather since his high school years. Initially, it was just a high school project but later on, Asif found the idea to be very interesting and he continued working on it.
After years of research, he was able to find the perfect method that would convert rice into a polymer that resembled the properties of animal-based leather. As a Business Administration graduate of the University of Hamburg, he knew that this was a scalable and profitable business. Now with the emerging industrial sector of Pakistan, Asif envisions the country to be one of the largest vegan leather producers by 2030. Partnerships like these are very beneficial for developing economies as they allow for foreign direct investments and the flow of technology. Additionally, it gives a boost to the GDP of the country and helps to sustain a positive economic growth rate which is vital to the development of a low-income country.
The reasons for choosing Pakistan for his project are very evident. First and foremost, Pakistan has a huge textile industry which would allow Asif to produce various products such as leather bags, belts, and other accessories easily. Similarly, Pakistan is also a large rice producer. This means that there would be a decent supply of raw materials to suit the needs of the project. Moreover, Pakistan is already a big player in the leather market. Product diversification such as vegan leather products can help Pakistan to generate more revenues from the leather trade. The only delay faced by Asif Ali Gohar is due to a lack of a team that can connect him with rice producers in Pakistan. Asif wants to connect with a team of investors or stakeholders that can help him swiftly set up operations in the country.
