Sri Lankan Consul General in Pakistan woos Karachi biz

 (BR) Consul General of Sri Lanka, D W Jinadasa has said Sri Lanka is member of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.

These trade agreements will provide good opportunities to the Pakistani business community to look for these markets having their production units in Sri Lanka.

Speaking at a meeting of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Thursday, he pointed out that when a product is originating from Sri Lanka, it will qualify for duty concessions, in the member countries of these agreements to which Sri Lanka is a signatory.

He emphasised that all these opportunities are open to the business community in Pakistan.

He invited Pakistani business community to make the most of these opportunities.

He said Sri Lanka and Pakistan have been enjoying friendly and cordial relations in diverse fields.

He said Pakistan is the second largest trading partner of Sri Lanka in the SAARC region after India. A substantial growth in bilateral trade is seen in both exports and imports.

The value of total trade between the two countries, has increased from 158 million dollars in 2005 to 342 million dollars in 2010.  He noted that the balance of trade has always been in favour of Pakistan.