Lack of information hits trade between Pakistan and Mali

The Ambassador of Mali, Amadou Mody Diall, has said that lacking information about available trade opportunities is major bottleneck in the way of promotion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Mali.
He stated this while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) here on Thursday. The LCCI President Mian Shafqat Ali, Senior Vice President Abdul Basit also spoke on the occasion.
Amadou Mody Diall maintained that this hurdle could only be removed through exchange of delegations and by holding joint exhibitions and the chambers of commerce in both the countries could play an effective role in this regard. He said that with a population of around 12 million, Mali has a huge potential for Pakistani businessmen, hence they should come forward and join hands with their counterparts in Mali so that the volume of two-way trade could reach required and desired levels. He further said that the present government of Mali has earmarked special trade free zones in that country and it's a big opportunity for the foreigners to make investment in that areas in collaboration with their counterparts in Mali.
Speaking on the occasion, Mian Shafqat Ali promised to extend all out co-operation to the Mali Chamber of Commerce and Industry for enhancing trade ties between the two countries, as both are members of OIC and enjoy friendly relations. He said that never in the past due attention was given towards promotion of trade as in 2004 goods worth 35.6 million dollars were traded between the two countries, wherein Pakistan's exports to Mali amounted to 0.095 million dollars, while Pakistan's imports from Mali amounted to 35.51 million dollars. Pakistan imports cotton from Mali, whereas Pakistan's exports to Mali consist of rice and woven cotton fabrics. The two countries need to identify the tradable items to raise their level of trade, he added. He urged the ambassador to take urgent steps for enhancing interaction between the diplomatic missions of the two countries. He said that there is a lot of scope for collaboration in various important sectors like food & fruit processing, textiles, fertilisers, construction etc.
Abdul Basit said that present government in Pakistan has adopted a liberal investment policy to attract foreign investment. There is no restriction on sending back the principal, dividends, profits and royalties. He said that possibilities of joint ventures between the two countries could be explored with little effort in right direction.