SIALKOT: Charge d’Affairs, a.i, of the Embassy of Philippines Maria Agnes M. Cervantes has said that her country is keen to boost trade with Pakistan and enhance mutual trade volume to the maximum level.
She was addressing a meeting of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was attended by SCCI President Abdul Ghafoor Malik, Senior Vice President (SVP) Wahub Jahangir, Vice President Amer Majeed Sheikh, and the business community, here on Thursday. Embassy of Philippines Vice Consul Dan Erwin C. Bagaporo, Philippine Honorary Consul (Punjab) Fahdel Sheikh, and Economic and Information Assistant Sumaira Domasig Khan.
The envoy urged the Sialkot exporters to come forward and explore the untapped international trade markets of Philippines. She said that there was a huge potential to increase the volume of mutual trade. She said both the countries had been enjoying cordial trade relations.
Maria Agnes showed keen interest in SCCI’s documentary ‘Sialkot, the City of Progressive People’, which was screened during the meeting.
SCCI President Abdul Ghafoor Malik told the meeting there was a huge potential to increase the volume of trade.
He said that Sialkot was an important economic hub and export-oriented city of the country. He said the Sialkot exporters had set unique examples of self-help by completing several mega projects on self-help basis.
The SCCI president revealed that the total trade volume between two countries in 2021 was US$217 million, which needed to be enhanced through mutual effort. He said the Sialkot represented an industrial setup producing specialised products that were being supplied to top brands and buyers all over the world.
“We produce sports goods, surgical instruments, leather products and gloves of all sorts, textiles items, sports wear, martial arts uniforms and accessories, musical instruments, kitchen ware and table-ware, hollow ware, hunting knives, table cutlery/ flatware, and military uniform badges, etc.
Earlier, the charge d’affairs, a.i, along with her team, visited leading industrial unit Hilbro International (Pvt) Ltd. She witnessed the craftsmanship of Sialkot-based artisans. She also showed keen interest in production process of surgical instruments as well.
