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DHAKA: Bangladesh wants to draw on Pakistan’s experience and technical expertise to improve its long-term grain storage system, while also strengthening mutual cooperation, exchanging expertise and expanding bilateral trade.
Food Minister Afroza Khanam made the remarks on Monday morning when Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, paid a courtesy call on her at her office at the Secretariat.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including grain imports, long-term food storage, trade expansion, education, connectivity and various aspects of bilateral cooperation.
The food minister said Bangladesh imported 50,000 tonnes of rice from Pakistan in the last fiscal year. The rice arrived in Bangladesh on schedule, and its quality was satisfactory. She also praised Pakistan’s basmati rice.
Afroza Khanam said Bangladesh currently has adequate food grain stocks, but maintaining grain quality over the long term remains a major challenge. She said exchanging Pakistan’s experience and technical expertise could help improve Bangladesh’s food storage system and sought Islamabad’s cooperation in this regard.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner Imran Haider said the launch of direct air connectivity between the two countries had made travel and people-to-people contact easier. People living in Karachi, in particular, have benefited from the connection, he said. He also stressed the need to expand commercial and cultural ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Highlighting opportunities to expand the market for Bangladeshi products, the high commissioner said ceramics, betel leaves and pineapples from Bangladesh were in demand and popular in Pakistan. He said there was scope to increase exports of these products.
He also noted that Bangladeshi students could pursue higher education at various Pakistani universities, with opportunities for fully funded scholarships. He encouraged them to take advantage of internationally recognised higher education programmes in cybersecurity, information technology and other fields.
The food minister said there was considerable potential to expand trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan, particularly in agricultural products. She stressed the need to strengthen contacts between relevant institutions and businesses in both countries to expand markets for agricultural goods.
She said these opportunities could be realised through trade facilitation and effective cooperation.
Afroza Khanam added that stronger cooperation in education, technology, food security and trade, along with greater people-to-people contact, could further consolidate friendly relations between the two countries. She said Bangladesh and Pakistan could contribute positively to each other’s development through mutual respect, cooperation and the exchange of expertise.
Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner Mohammad Wasif, Trade and Investment Attaché Waqas Yasin, Food Secretary Abu Taher Md Masud Rana, Directorate General of Food Director General Md Jasim Uddin Khan and other relevant officials were present at the meeting.