Sri Lanka to facilitate vegetable imports from Pakistan

Karachi: Sri Lanka will facilitate the import of vegetables including potato and onion from Pakistan, Minister of Commerce and Industry Rishad Bathiudeen has said.

Bathiudeen, who is on an official visit to Pakistan, has said that the issue of exempting imported consignments of vegetables from regularity duties will be taken up in the next Cabinet meeting as the duties are imposed to save local production.

He has expressed these views while addressing a lunch arranged by Pakistan-Sri Lanka Business Forum in his honor, Business Recorder reported.

He said Pakistan’s cement and pharmaceutical industries had better opportunities of investment in Sri Lanka. He said as Sri Lanka is enjoying free trade agreements with both India and Pakistan, by establishing industries in Sri Lanka and with value addition of its products, Pakistan can have indirect market access to India.

Education, according to the Minister, was another sector where both countries might develop cooperation as a large number of students from Sri Lanka go to India and United Kingdom for modern education. They could be invited to professional universities especially those in medical and engineering fields in Pakistan.

The Minister said Pakistan’s rice has great demand in Sri Lanka whereas Sri Lankan tea could get shares in Pakistani markets.

On the occasion, President of Pakistan-Sri Lanka Business Forum Aslam Pakhali has appreciated the efforts made by the Sri Lankan Minister for enhancement of bilateral trade. He said the Minister had great contribution in making the single country exhibition of Pakistan held in Sri Lanka a successful show.

Pakhali said imposition of regularity duties was the right of Sri Lanka to save its local production. However, the foreign country was requested to exempt the already shipped consignments of potato and onion from Pakistan, which was the largest exporter of the same item to Sri Lanka, he added. He further informed the visiting Minister that the forum was doing its best to enhance trade between the two countries. He said the forum had advertised Sri Lankan pineapple in Pakistan recently.

“There is a demand for Sri Lankan herbal and Islamic products in Pakistan. The mega project of CPEC may also provide access to Sri Lankan products in Middle Eastern countries, Europe and Central Asia,” the Pakistani official said.