Exporters demand trade in fruits, vegetables with India

Pakistan can earn $1.2b in the next two years by supplying fruits to India.


Imran Rana November 24, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Exporters have demanded the government not to add vegetables and fruits in the negative list of trade with India as Pakistan can earn up to $1.2 billion in next two years by supplying fruits to the neighbouring country.

Pakistan is in the process of replacing the positive list with negative list to expand trade with the once arch-rival.

The positive list contains over 2,000 items that can be traded with India while the negative list will contain only few hundred items that will not be traded until Pakistan grants Most Favoured Nation status to India by December 2012. The federal commerce ministry has announced to enforce the negative list by February 2012.

There is a great scope for joint ventures between India and Pakistan particularly in the agriculture sector, said agriculture experts and traders while talking to The Express Tribune.

Khan Trading Company Chief Executive Officer Khalid Khan told The Express Tribune that India could become a large market for Pakistani kinnow (oranges). He said according to various estimates Pakistan can export 400,000 tons of kinnow to India.

The exports of Pakistani fruit supplies could fetch $1.2 billion in the next two years, he stated. Some Pakistani products are better in quality and price than Indian goods while some Indian products are better in quality and price than Pakistani goods, he added.

Abad Trading Company CEO Javed Ali said the government should focus on free trade of fruits, vegetables and other agriculture products to enhance the exports. Some products that are cheap in India should be imported by Pakistan, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2011.

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