ISLAMABAD, Aug 20: The Saarc-member countries are holding fourth round of meeting on South Asia Preferential Trade Arrangement (Sapta) on September 2 in Kathmandu.

The three-day meeting would discuss tariff concession for more items to boost trade among the member countries, a senior official in the ministry of commerce told Dawn on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the officials said that the representative of the member countries would also deliberate removal of structural impediments and harmonization of customs procedures and documentation.

The Saarc-member countries have already exchanged the list of items to be considered during the meeting. And also to be discussed would be banking, port and transportation facilities, setting up of reviewing and monitoring mechanism and consumer equitable benefits to all the member countries, the officials said.

According to the officials, in the first three round of talks the Saarc-member countries have so far given concession on as many as 4951 items.

Of these, Bhutan has given concession on 266 items, India on 2402 items, Maldives on 390 items, Nepal on 425 items, Pakistan on 685 items, Bangladesh on 572 items and Sri Lanka on 212 items.

Elaborating further, the officials said that in the first round of negotiation under Sapta, Pakistan granted tariff concession on 46 items against which Islamabad received concession on 106 items from other countries including 44 items from India, while during the second round of talks Pakistan granted total tariff concession on 351 items including concession on 230 items to India whereas Delhi granted concession on 375 items.

During the third round of negotiation, Islamabad granted tariff concession on about 286 items to the member countries, said the officials.

Pakistan has granted tariff concession ranging between 10 and 15 per cent on items, which are mostly agriculture products and industrial raw material, while it received concession on many value-added items.