KARACHI, April 5: Iraq is keen to upgrade trade relations and make Pakistan one of the main supplier of food grains as well as equipment needed to rehabilitate its economy.
This was stated by Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr Basil Dalali during his visit to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) on Friday.
The Iraqi minister is heading a seven-member delegation who is currently on a six days visit to Pakistan for exploring closer cooperation in the field of agriculture, higher education of bio-technology, material sciences, IT and computer software developments and plasma physics.
After taking a round of the EPB’s display centre located at the ground floor of FTC building, Dr Basil Dalali held a meeting with Minister for State and Chairman EPB Tariq Ikram.
While expressing his satisfaction over the improved trade relations between the two countries for the last two years Dr Dalali said that Iraq would like to extend links with Pakistan in other areas and explore avenues for bilateral trade enhancement.
“We need to send Iraqis for training to Pakistan as his government is willing to enhance and upgrade trade relations with Pakistan,” Dr Basil Dalali said.
The Iraqi minister said it is heartening to see Pakistan is becoming wheat exporting country and Iraq, besides wheat would like to import rice, pumps for agriculture products, tractors, generators, GI pipes, spare parts and a host of other products to rehabilitate its economy.
The Iraqi delegation members also showed keen interest for importing pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, veterinary products, pesticides etc.
Responding to their request the EPB chairman said Pakistan’s potential for the supply of pharmaceutical products is enormous and it could easily meet Iraq’s requirement.
Tariq Ikram said that Pakistan would become a major supplier of wheat to Iraq as 500,000 tons of wheat would be supplied in the next months which would help carry the trade volume with Iraq to nearly $100 million in phases.
He said Pakistan had supplied 100,000 tons of wheat to Iraq in the past and another 35,000 tons would be supplied to Iraq shortly for which prices have been finalized.
In 1999 Pakistan’s exports to Iraq stood at only $2 million but the same has risen to $16 million in the year 2000-01, while contracts worth $60 to $70 million have been signed with Iraq.
The meeting also discussed increase in quota for Pakistani rice in the Iraqi market and the possibility of CKD assembly of tractors in Iraq.
