Trade between Pakistan and India gaining pace

Indian businessmen hope $10b target can be reached in few years.


Our Correspondent December 13, 2012

KARACHI:


Despite persistent apprehensions and over 65 years of uncertain political ties between India and Pakistan, Indian businessmen firmly believe that things can now move faster in the right direction as the two sides want to push forward their relations, especially in trade and commerce.


“If you especially look at the progress in the last 10 months, you will notice that India and Pakistan have moved too fast in economic relations,” said Kiran Vohra, a leading Indian businessman and Director of Forbes Marshall Private Limited, while speaking to members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Thursday.

“With this accelerated pace, I have no doubt that the two neighbours can achieve the bilateral trade target of over $10 billion in next few years,” he said.

Vohra, whose company provides solutions in energy efficiency and process automation, was of the view that the high number of business delegations visiting each other’s country indicated that economic relations would grow strongly in coming years.

“Once our businessmen start trading with each other, you will see a huge jump in bilateral trade,” said Vohra, who is leading a 17-member delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). “Present trade volume of around $2.5 billion is nothing keeping in view the real trade potential of the two countries.”

Trade and commerce would grow faster if the two governments made visa process easier for businessmen and general public, he suggested.

CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation. Founded over 117 years ago, today it is India’s premier business association with direct membership of over 7,100 organisations.

Priyadarshi Ranjan

The delegation members said they were not in Pakistan to just explore the export market, but they were also looking for possible imports and joint ventures that would equally help both the neighbours.

One of the delegation members, Rajiv Kumar, Head Exports of Escorts Limited, the makers of farm machinery and tractors, announced that his company was ready to work with Pakistani counterparts.

$2.5b

He said his company exported tractors to 60 countries and it was ready to host farm machinery producers of Pakistan in India to find out the possibility of collaboration.

Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting Head of Sales Priyadarshi Ranjan said his company was the third largest soapmaker in India. “We are here to search for good business partners. We are also looking at ways to invest and produce our products in Pakistan. We are also ready to transfer technology to Pakistan,” said Ranjan.

HPCL-Mittal Energy Head of Logistics and MIS Marketing Pradeep Kumar Inani said his company wanted to export petroleum products to Pakistan through the Wagah land route – the closest road link where the company has recently set up a state-of-the-art refinery near the Attari border of India.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14th, 2012.

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