MULTAN: Uzbek embassy’s officers, commercial officer Sayd Ahmdove and visa counselor Shukrat Zaripove have showed interest in execution of Multan-Tashkent direct flights and offered cooperation in holding mango festival in Multan while exchanging views with entrepreneurs of Multan on better opportunities of tourism and business in Uzbekistan.
A two member’s delegation from Islamabad Uzbek embassy visited Multan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and exchanged views with former President of MCCI Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi said that Pakistani entrepreneurs, female business owners in particular, are interested in the trade and investment opportunities Uzbekistan offers.
“We are planning to take a delegation of entrepreneurs to Uzbekistan and other Central Asian republics to explore markets for value-added products,” Several members of the chamber who create leather, handicrafts and jewellery products are interested in joining a MCCI trade delegation to Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states in 2018, he said.
Woman entrepreneurs belonging to the textile sector will also go with the delegation to discover the potential for trade in the Central Asian region, he said. Central Asia has great potential as a market for Pakistani exports in value-added products, said Roomi.”Expansion in trade and investment between Pakistan and Uzbekistan is basically a private sector initiative and it would be facilitated by the governments of the two countries,” Roomi added. For example, Pakistan can export foods, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and surgical and sporting goods while importing minerals from Uzbekistan.
Secretary General of MCCI Khurram Javed Butt said that the move to enhance economic co-operation between the two countries is a positive step with potential for great growth. The two countries could promote joint ventures to manufacture various industrial goods, he said. Such products could be exported to Uzbekistan’s neighbours, or Pakistan could buy them back.”The volume of bilateral annual trade between the two countries is less than $40 million, but there is huge potential for growth,” he said.
The Uzbek embassy commercial officer Jasur Sayd Akhmedov and visa counselor Shukrat Zaripove said that they would submit recommendations to the Uzbek government to start direct flights from Multan to Tashkent to facilitate imports and exports form city of Multan and southern Punjab areas directly. Uzbek embassy visa counselor Shukrat Zaripove assured full cooperation to exporters in holding mango festival.
Exporters from South Punjab has been working to export mango from Pakistan to Uzbekistan, bringing most modern techniques in agriculture Roomi added that trade between Pakistan and Uzbekistan can be improved and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would also beneficial to Uzbekistan.
