SARFARAZ Ahmed, the new Pakistani Commercial Consul at the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah, prioritizes increasing Pakistan's exports to the Kingdom and hope they will double within a year. “Many Pakistani businessmen are not aware of the Saudi market which offers them tremendous opportunities,” said Ahmed who has recently taken office. With 25-years of experience in international export and trading, Ahmed may just be the right person to give the much-needed boost to bilateral trade between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He said he has many ‘plans' for that purpose. Pakistan's exports to the Kingdom are valued at approximately $400 million. However, the last few years have seen a decline in bilateral trade. “We cannot pin down a particular reason for this; it may be that Pakistan is not very competitive, or it may be that some Pakistani businessmen keener to trade in European markets and so neglect the Saudi markets,” Ahmed said. “However,” he said, “this trend can be reversed. Though bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is sizable at the moment, a lot more can be done,” he added. Ahmed has already started meeting with Saudi and Pakistani businessmen here who have come together under an umbrella of different Pakistani business forums. From 2003 to 2008, Pakistani exports to Saudi Arabia consisting of consumer products, such as, textile goods, food items, rice, primary goods, leather, spices, fruits, vegetables, etc., were valued between $348,520 and $380,080. “Pakistan is already exporting various goods. We are also trying to introduce surgical goods, medicines, sports goods, and carpets,” Ahmed said. He hopes to put on an expo to exclusively showcase Pakistani products. “We are making preparations for the expo to be held in June or July, 2009. Pakistan has a lot of things to offer, but sadly not many people know about the large variety of products that the country has,” Ahmed said. He said the investment sector in Pakistan is promising. “ As Pakistan is a country that has been less affected by the financial crisis, there are good opportunities for investors to invest in Pakistan and be assured of profits,” he said. He said negotiations are underway with a major Saudi petrochemical group which has shown interest in setting up a petrochemical complex in Pakistan. “This is at an early stage, but with proper support, we can motivate local businessmen to invest in Pakistan,” Ahmed said. “The 18-member delegation of rice exporters who are arriving next month consists of established as well as new exporters. They will showcase variations in the Pakistani rice crop, and I hope that they receive a positive response,” he said. India is a major exporter of rice and the largest to the Kingdom. “Pakistan's share is not very large, but we should soon be able to catch up with India,” Ahmed said.
