ISLAMABAD, May 28: The Kazakhstan government has offered to reduce substantially customs duty on Pakistan’s major exportable products to increase trade between the two countries. Officials told Dawn on Saturday that Kazakhstan had agreed to bind their tariffs between 5 to 23 per cent - not to increase the level of applied tariff from this range - so that to extend greater market access to major Pakistani exportable products.

Kazakhstan had made this offer to Pakistan as part of the process of its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which has been approved by the federal cabinet recently. The cabinet also approved to allow Pakistani mission in Geneva to support Kazakhstan accession to WTO.

Pakistan had earlier made a request for market access asking Kazakhstan to bind their tariffs at 0-15 per cent level so that maximum products at lower duty could be exported to that country.

The Kazakhstan government offered to bind tariffs at 7 to 20 per cent on sugar confectionary, fruits and vegetables juices at 13 to 15 per cent, prepared or preserved fish at 15 per cent, sewing thread of man-made filaments at 8 per cent, synthetic filament yarn other than sewing thread at 6.5 to 10 per cent, cotton garments - knitted or crocheted - at 17.5 per cent, readymade garments at 17.5 per cent, sack and bags at 10 per cent, footwear at 23-20 per cent, electronic motors and generators at 5-15 per cent, soap and washing preparations at 10 pre cent, leather trunks, suitcase at 15 per cent, other leather products at 15 per cent, razor and razor blades at 15 per cent and cutlery items at 15 per cent.