ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan, has stressed the need for Pakistan and Belarus to elevate their bilateral trade relations to fully exploit their potential.

Pakistan has been exporting a diverse range of goods to Belarus, including medicaments, optical/medical apparatus, rice, leather articles, textiles, cutlery, footwear, sports requisites, cotton garments, salt, and mangoes.

However, Pakistan’s imports from Belarus consist of agriculture tractors, fertilizer, wood pulp, and motor vehicles.

Minister Jam Kamal Khan highlighted Pakistan’s significant position as the fourth-largest dairy producer globally, suggesting that the country has the capability to become a major exporter in this sector.

He urged the exploration of new avenues and potential to capitalize on this opportunity, proposing that Belarus upgrade its tractors to meet Pakistan’s agricultural requirements.

Despite a recorded total trade volume of $19.05 million, Minister Jam Kamal Khan indicated that this figure falls short of the true potential of trade between the two nations.

He referenced the outcomes of the 6th Pakistan-Belarus Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) session held in Minsk from January 12-13, 2023, where both parties evaluated ongoing bilateral cooperation in trade.

Additionally, the Ambassador, Andrei Metelitsa emphasized Belarus’s expertise in manufacturing harvesters and electric vehicle (EV) transports, suggesting deeper cooperation between the two countries in these sectors.

Minister Jam Kamal Khan underlined the importance of both business-to-business (B to B) meetings and government-to-government (G to G) dialogues to enhance trade volume and strengthen bilateral ties.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024