NEW YORK, Aug 6: Federal Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar on Tuesday called on the industrialized nations to end agricultural subsidies given to their farm industry in order to level the playing field for the developing nations.

At a press conference in New York following the end of his Canadian visit to attend the World Trade Organization’s ministerial meeting in Montreal, he also asked the industrialized nations to phase out tariffs on Industrial goods like textiles, fisheries, etc. Similarly the developing countries should end tariffs on industrial goods but in phases, he added.

He reiterated that under the present conditions it was difficult for the developing countries to compete with the industrialized nations who heavily subsidise their agricultural and industrial industry.

He said that the invitation to Pakistan to attend the WTO ministerial conference shows Pakistanis significance in the international community.

The commerce minister pointed out that negotiations in WTO were on Doha Development Agenda, and Pakistan’s presence in WTO is essential because it currently is in need of regional bilateral relations to settle the tariff barriers or non-tariff barriers or subsidy issues.

Akhtar who also met with his Canadian counterpart Canadian Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, on the sidelines of the WTO meeting said that he sought a bilateral free trade agreement with Canada.

He noted that Canada had given incentives to least developed countries. Canadian Trade Minister had promised to come to Pakistan with a trade delegation in next three to four months.

He said Pakistani exports to Canada have increased and a lot more could be done. “Our main goal is that we get quota or tariff breaks and in short term but in the long term Pakistan and Canada should have bilateral preferential trade agreement which could emerge as a free trade agreement between the two.”