STO team of Maldives calls on secretary TDAP

F.P. Report

KARACHI: A two member delegation of State Trade Organization (STO) of Maldives, which is on a four day visit to Pakistan these days, called on the Secretary, Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) with a view to discuss with him the objective of their visit to Pakistan and get his advice as to how the same could be utilized with a view to meet their urgent procurement needs of pharma products from Pakistan.

While discussing the subject with the Secretary Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP), the delegates informed the Secretary that Maldives imported Pharma products worth more than US $ 30 million last year, and the major bulk of these imports (almost 70%) were made from India.

The government of Maldives is in acute search of diversifying their importing sources of pharmaceutical products, where the exporters could meet their quality requirements in this regard.

The delegates informed that the Ambassador of Pakistan at Maldives has encouraged and facilitated them to visit Pakistan to meet our import needs in this regard from the country.

Secretary, Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) informed the Maldives delegation that Pakistan has a modern and growing pharma industry, and Pharma export of the country last year were more than US $ 220. Sri Lanka is one of the major export markets of Pakistan in the sector where our exports are directed towards many countries in the Far East, Central Asia and Africa.

The Pakistani pharma industry has some of the state-of-art pharma units which meet the international certification criteria and import standards of recognized world bodies.

He wished them well to meet the pharmaceutical exporters and visit their pharma plants; and instructed the dealing officer of Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) to accompany the delegation during their visit program in order to facilitate their interaction.