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ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: Indonesian Minister for Industry and Trade, Ms Rini M. Sumarno Soewandi said on Thursday that her country was interested in importing sugar and rice from Pakistan, as it was importing 50 per cent sugar from world market to meet its requirement.
“Pakistan can benefit from this opportunity”, she stated in a bilateral meeting with Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan here.
Secretary Commerce, Kamal Afsar and senior officials of Ministry of Commerce were also present in the meeting.
Ms Rini said that Indonesia was very keen in promotion of economic partnership with Pakistan for which business community of both countries should be encouraged.
She said both countries should work for the promotion of trade as the present volume of business was very low which could be increased easily in future by making joint efforts.
Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan said that Pakistan and Indonesia would enter a new era of business cooperation as businessmen of both the countries are engaged in finalizing various agreements while on government level the agreement had already been signed. The minister said that Pakistan had stock of surplus sugar for export besides rice and dates and Indonesia could import these products on very competitive prices.
He said that in 2000-01 an MoU was signed for joint venture in private sector but progress was unsatisfactory, adding, this agreement should be revived for the promotion of trade and economic activities between the two countries as present climate was very encouraging.
WHEAT: The Indonesian trade minister said that her country needed wheat and Pakistan should grow more of this food grain to meet the demand.
“We are wheat importing country and Pakistan can grow lot of wheat for us”, she said while speaking at a dinner hosted by Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in Karachi on Wednesday. EPB chairman Tariq Ikram and leading exporters were also present on the occasion.
Referring to her visit to EPB’s display centre, she said Pakistan produces good quality merchandise and their export to Indonesia can reduce the trade gap between the two countries in a short span of time.
She suggested that Pakistan and Indonesia must compliment each other in the manufacturing sector to face the forthcoming challenges of globalization. She said there were several export oriented sectors where Pakistan could cooperate with Indonesia to boost exports from both the countries.—APP
