SIALKOT-Brazil and Pakistan are enjoying very cordial trade relations and making strenuous efforts to further strengthen bilateral trade ties, said Ms Heelena Lobato da Jor0nada, Third Secretary Embassy of Brazil in Pakistan, on Wednesday0.
During a meeting at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, she said that there was wide scope for her country to start collaboration with the business community of Pakistan.
“We have already strong trade relations with the business community of Sialkot which is exporting surgical instruments, manicure sets, cutlery and sports goods to Brazil,” she added. “We are formulating a strategy for expanding trade in various sectors with Pakistan and special attention under the programme would be focused on providing opportunities of interaction to the business communities for the promotion of two-way trade.”
She said that Brazil would grant five=year visas to businessmen enabling them to freely visit for expanding the trade volume. The basic concept was to bring closer business communities of Brazil and Pakistan as well as enabling them to visit frequently for developing direct trade ties with each other and to study the market trends of both the countries easily, she said. She added that Brazil can extend cooperation and assistance to Pakistan in energy sector if the Pakistan government wills.
Earlier, talking to president of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Sarfraz Bashir, the third secretary said, “We are willing to further expand trade relations with Pakistan in various fields and working on this line. It is high time that business community of Pakistan should take step for doing business with Brazil for enhancing bilateral trade between the two friendly countries.”
She said, “We are making strenuous efforts for bringing the business communities of both the countries closer for the expansion of trade as well as achieving yield results. We will extend full cooperation to the business community of Pakistan for the purpose and five-years visa facility would be extended to them.”
On the occasion, Dr Sarfraz informed the visitors about the industrial set up of Sialkot and said that Sialkot I was an important economic centre and export-oriented city in Pakistan. Sialkot has a history spanning over a century of skilled craftsmanship in manufacturing surgical instruments and this has over the last few decades combined with modern equipments and manufacturing technology to produce surgical instruments of highest quality, he said.
Meanwhile, the Sialkot exporters urged Brazil to ensure direct exports of Sialkot-made products direct from Sialkot-Pakistan instead of purchasing these products from the other countries on high prices, besides, opening the ways of easy access of Sialkot business community to international trade markets of Brazil and Europe through Brazil, as the Brazil could be a gateway to America as well.
Giving a detailed briefing to the visiting delegation of Brazilian Embassy in Pakistan, Dr Sarfraz Bashir said that most of the developed countries including Brazil were importing surgical instruments from Sialkot for resale purposes. He said that Brazil should have the direct imports of Sialkot-made products including surgical instruments, sports goods, musical instruments; leather garments etc direct from Sialkot-Pakistan instead of buying these products indirectly from the other countries on high prices. He said that the direct imports from Sialkot would be beneficial for both Pakistan and Brazil as well.
Businessmen told the delegation that Pakistan-made sports goods, surgical instruments, leather products, gloves of all sorts, textiles items, sports wear, martial arts uniforms & accessories, musical instruments, kitchen ware, hollow ware, knives, cutlery items and Military uniform badges etc. could find a good market in Brazil.