Expo helps foreigners to strengthen trade ties

KARACHI: Foreign delegates visiting Pakistan said on Saturday that they have managed to make good business deals here. However, local counterparts also said that some foreigners had cancelled their trips due to the law and order situation of the country.

They said this while speaking to The Express Tribune on the second day of the exhibition ‘My Karachi - Oasis of Harmony’, organised by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Karachi Expo Centre.

Sri Lankan delegate Priyanjani Kulasekera, representing the Sri Lankan Export Development Board, said that they had come to Pakistan to encourage bilateral trade relations between the two countries by exploring the local market to have a better understanding of common areas of interest.

Dushan Waduwavala, also Sri Lankan, said that this was his first visit to Pakistan and contrary to the global impression of the country, he had found it very different. Interestingly, he said that he did not hesitate to visit Pakistan because the Sri Lankan political scenario and infrastructure were very much like Pakistan’s and therefore he felt it home here!

Waduwavala said that the exhibition helped him to interact with local businessmen and he had successfully made some firm contacts for future trade.

Indonesian Consul General, Trigustono Supriyanto also had similar views. He said that the Indonesian delegation had come to Pakistan to improve the business flow between the two countries.

“We have had a number of meetings with the local businessmen and have agreed to import a few of the Pakistani products while they have also agreed to import some of our products which seem to have a market here in this country,” he informed.

Ayesha of Vietnam was of the opinion that such general public exhibitions are a great place to learn local consumers’ perspective as all the people who visit the exhibition are a reflection of the larger mass of Pakistan.

She said that she had not come to sell anything here and had instead come with long-run trade aims, adding that rather than bringing consumer items in bulk, she had brought a few samples. “If the consumers and businessmen like our products, we can export it from Vietnam,” she said.

The trade delegation of Bangladesh was happy with the response they had received as they said that having similar culture, they had been able to cater to the needs of the public with their products.

However, some foreign delegates and their local representatives said that several foreigners had backed out from visiting the country due to the sensitive situation. The representatives were hesitant to discuss the matter and just said that most foreigners had dropped their plans to visit Pakistan either due to travel advisories or on personal concerns.

These representatives, being Pakistanis, admitted that the negative image of the country did adversely affect the trade and often they had to give detailed explanations to their international clients on the law and order condition of the country.

Visitors to the fair said that such events should be held more frequently all over the country as they are a great source of entertainment for the families. However, some who had visited My Karachi in previous years, added that this time round there were fewer offers and fewer stalls compared to earlier events.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2010.