Business leaders for bridging trade deficit with Morocco

Pakistan’s trade deficit with Morocco has reached close to $300 million which is huge when seen in the context of total bilateral trade of approximately $350 million, remarked Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Shaikh.

In a statement on Monday, he emphasised that trade deficit of Pakistan with every country needed to be addressed through enhanced business-to-business and chamber-to-chamber ties.

He added that there were a lot of items that Pakistan could ship to the African nation including value-added textiles, fruits and vegetables, surgical goods, pharmaceuticals, IT services, sports goods and minerals.

“FPCCI is the right platform to get things rolling in the right direction,” he remarked.

FPCCI Senior Vice President Suleman Chawla called on the Pakistan-Morocco Business Council to play a proactive role and exchange business-to-business delegations to explore the avenues of cooperation, trade and joint ventures.

FPCCI’s Pakistan-Morocco Business Council Chairman Yahya Chawla explained that Morocco had ample potential to become a major export market for Pakistan.

“To achieve this, we need to conduct a thorough assessment coupled with creating awareness in the business, industry and trade community,” he said.

Senior Vice Chairman of the Council Sultan Rehman asked Pakistan’s Ambassador to Morocco Hamid Asghar Khan to facilitate the business community of Pakistan in creating linkages with their counterparts in Morocco, specifically with the Morocco Chamber of Commerce and Industry.