Export plan for increasing, formalising Pak-Afghan trade proposed

Progressive Group in the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) has suggested the government to devise an export plan for increasing and formalizing bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan which at present is around $5 billion. This plan can be made by taking on board the official quarters of these countries, the business community and customs authorities of both sides to run the bilateral trade in a formal and legal way. Lahore Chamber’s EC member and a central leader of the Progressive Group Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer in a statement issued here on Tuesday said that at present a big issue was coming up which is the flight of dollars from Pakistan to Afghanistan while the smuggling under various garbs was also a big hit to Pakistan’s economy. Enacting a legal framework and plan by Pakistan and Afghanistan will help both economies to overcome these issues. He said that having an export plan can be beneficial for both Pakistan and Afghanistan as it can help these countries to identify their key export products and services that have a competitive advantage in international markets. This can help these countries to focus on developing these products and services and to allocate resources to their production and marketing. Ejaz further said an export plan can help Pakistan and Afghanistan to develop market strategies for their key export products and services. This can include identifying potential export markets, conducting market research to understand the demand for their products, and developing marketing campaigns to promote their products and services. Likewise, an export plan can help Pakistan and Afghanistan to enhance their competitiveness in int’l markets by identifying areas where they need to improve, such as product quality, cost-effectiveness, or branding.