Pak Ambassador- designate urge businessmen to explore Russian market for trade, exports

ISLAMABAD, February 20: Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to Russian Federation (RF) ,Qazi M. Khalilulllah has asked the Pakistani businessmen to step up efforts to explore Russian market for promoting trade and exports.
While exchanging views with business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate Qazi said that Russia was a huge market for Pakistani products as it was among top 10 economies of the world with annual imports of over US$ 175 billion, but Pakistan’s share of trade with Russia was 0.06 percent of its total trade which was quite negligible.
He said that Russia was a major importer of food products which accounted for 13 percent of its total imports and Pakistan has good opportunity to promote export of its food products to Russia by improving their quality and ensuring compliance of sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
He said that an annual International Food Exhibition “World Food Moscow would be held in September 2016, hence Pakistani food exporters should participate and explore export potential for Pakistani fruits & vegetables, fish & seafood, meat & poultry and other products. He said that Pakistani textiles, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, cosmetics, leather goods, plastic and many other products could find good market in Russia. He suggested that Pakistani businessmen should consider setting up a certification agency to improve the quality and standards of their products at par with international requirements which would help them in boosting exports.
President ICCI Atif Ikram Sheikh said that government should cooperate in establishing warehouses in Russia to display Pakistani products which would help in promoting exports with Russia.
He said that Russian technology & machinery could help in modernizing Pakistan’s industry and Embassy should play their role to strengthen and share trade-related information with Chambers of Commerce in Pakistan so that businessmen could take measures to avail potential opportunities for improving trade and exports with Russia.-Online