US Consul General in Karachi, Michael Dodman, on Wednesday, urged the Pakistani exporters to take full advantage by exporting Halal certified products to America’s huge market. Speaking as the chief guest at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of an exhibition of American food products titled ‘Taste of America’, he said that America has a comprehensive Halal food product market as “our country’s 2.6 million Muslims spend $20 billion on consumption of Halal food products annually and, as such, the opportunities for trade are truly endless.
The exhibition was organized by United States Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Naheed Supermarket (NSM) here on Wednesday. Elaborating, the Consul General said: “United States is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and its largest export market where agricultural products account for a significant portion of that trade. During the last five years, the United States’ exports of agricultural and related goods to Pakistan increased to 24.6 percent, growing from US $293million in 2009 to US $389m in 2013.
He said that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working with NSM for an in-store promotion of American agricultural products offered in Pakistan. Over the next five days, NSM would be showcasing a wide variety of the America agricultural products. “American exporters see huge potential in Pakistan’s rapidly growing domestic market, and there is also great potential for Pakistani exporters,” Dodman added. “We are very proud to be working with Naheed Super Market,” remarked Agricultural Consular at the US Embassy, Clay Hamilton.
MNA Rasheed Godial on this occasion said that such kinds of exhibitions are necessary for the both countries to increase the bilateral trade volume. He also lauded the efforts of the US for working in field of education, infrastructural development time as well as for alleviating poverty since the inception of Pakistan. He said that Pakistan needed such healthy economic activities not only in the country, but also across the border because this is one of the best ways to promote country’s trade.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (KCCI) Vice President Khalid Tawab also appreciated the exhibition, saying “this is the real way to introduce and enhance business activities. He said that Pakistan is basically an agricultural country and we should step up to enhance the trade of agriculture products.
Chief Executive Officer of K&N Foods, Khalil Sattar, said that the imports of different kind of products which were on display at the exhibition would help the local traders to know that how to add value in the products and how to take maximum advantage from them after value addition. The NSM’s proprietor Munsaf Ibrar and Consumers Association of Pakistan’s Chairman Kaukab Iqbal, were also present on the occasion.
*This article was originally published on Business Recorder on 24 July 2014. Read the original article here.
