Pakistani authorities are gearing up to participate in a food and grocery exhibition in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai for the first time, as part of measures to boost bilateral trade, an official said today.

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan has called on traders to participate in the Food and Grocery Forum to be held in Mumbai during March 27-28.

The authority is facilitating the participation of Pakistani traders in Indian expos after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the India Trade Promotion Organisation.

Mr Amir-ur-Rehman, project officer with TDAP, said 2012 would be a year during which his organisation would focus on trade with India.

“There are lots of our products that Indians like. We want the traders to grasp the potential of the Indian market,” Mr Rehman told PTI over phone from Karachi.

Though Pakistani traders have been participating in the India International Trade Fair in New Delhi for many years, this is the first time that the country will take part in a trade exhibition in Mumbai, he said.

“This is an exhibition for food products and we felt there were several products we could offer. For example, Indians love Pakistani spices,” Mr Rehman said.

TDAP is hopeful of a positive response from Pakistani traders to its call to take part in the Mumbai event.

The products that will be in focus at the Food and Grocery Forum include rice, confectionery items, dairy products, ready to eat meals, spices, deep frozen food products and beverages.

Mr Rehman said the only impediment to participating in Indian events is the visa regime between the two countries.

“We hope the visa applications of Pakistani traders will be cleared speedily. Timely visa approvals will help in boosting bilateral trade,” he said.

Following the signing of the MoU with ITPO, TDAP has plans to organise several events in India, including product-specific exhibitions and Pakistan-specific trade shows in Indian cities, Mr Rehman said.

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