February 3, 2020: All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) has started collecting marketing intelligence to enhance export of fruits & vegetables to the African countries.
By better understanding the demands of this specific market and quarantine requirements, we can get an adequate share from the African market of US$ 3.7 billion. The Pakistan Africa Conference has played a vital role and brightened opportunity of export enhancement of Fruits, Vegetables and other products to the African market – stated by the Patron-in-Chief PFVA, Mr Waheed Ahmed.
To translate the outcome of this conference fruitful, the Association (PFVA) has now initiated planning work. During phase – I, the PFVA would collect statistical data of trade-related information, Products of competitors, and details of duty structure of the African markets from the commercial attaches of Pakistani foreign mission located in the Africa, TDAP and other national organizations.
In the subsequent Phase, the data collected would be utilized with the help of Pakistani foreign missions to strengthen trade ties and exchange of trade delegations.
Africa is the second-largest emerging market after Asia. The total import volume of the African market is USD 576 billion and of this, Pakistan has even less than 0.2 % share while export from Pakistan to Africa is around USD 1.4 billion.
India, contrary to Pakistan has not only captured this market through trade and investment but also has pronounced cultural influence over there. The current trade volume of India with Africa is around USD 50 billion and by the year 2020-21, it has been planned to attain the export target of USD 117 billion.
According to Waheed Ahmed, the export Industries and previous Governments did not make any sincere efforts to tap gigantic trade potential of this huge market and focused their attention to US, European and other traditional international markets where an increasing stiff competition is making it very difficult to retain these markets.
The Pakistan Africa conference has given a new dimension to the foreign trade of Pakistan and the participants from various African countries in this conference recently held in Nairobi have expressed immense interest to enhance trade and investment with Pakistan.
The bright aspect of the conference is that demand for Pakistani fruits, vegetables and value-added products of fruits has surfaced with encouraging response. The African countries import fruits and vegetable worth of USD 3.7 billion annually. Currently, Pakistan is exporting fruits and vegetables of USD 04 million to the African countries which can be enhanced to USD 25 million. Similarly, the export of USD 1.4 billion to African countries by Pakistan can be also be enhanced to USD 03 billion within a period of 3 years.
Waheed Ahmed has highly appreciated the commendable efforts by Adviser to the Prime Minister, Mr Abdul Razzaq Dawood on organizing this mega event leading to brilliant success and hoped that such conferences would be held regularly annually and various regions of Africa would also be focused like East Asian countries.
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