PM Shehbaz orders expansion of export sectors to boost Pakistan's global trade

According to The Express Tribune, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday told the government to place export growth at the centre of economic development and widen the range of sectors selling abroad. Chairing a review meeting, he urged more industries to join export activity so that the trade base becomes more varied. Officials were also asked to lift the quality of local goods to global norms, tighten quality assurance and meet international regulations.

He also stressed adding value to products to make them more competitive abroad, and backed modern technology, research and innovation in export-focused industries. Authorities were told to use digitalisation to bring the economy in step with current needs. Sharif further ordered that obstacles faced by exporters be removed and the export process be simplified, quickened and made more transparent.

The meeting heard that a strategic roadmap for export promotion is being put into practice, and that talks to conclude free trade and preferential deals with several friendly countries are under way. Officials said horticultural goods are being considered for the export basket, and exhibitions such as TEXPO, the Health Engineering and Minerals Show and FoodAg are being staged in several cities. The restructuring of the Export Development Fund has been finished, officials said.