The Pakistan's High Commissioner to Mauritius has suggested that more and more product focused trade teams for aggressive marketing be sent to Mauritius, which offers a big scope for Pakistani products.
In a letter to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the High Commission also desired that fashion shows of embroidered garments, textile items, food festival, fruit galas, auto road shows, advertising campaign for Pakistani goods and biz events, etc be held there to capture the market.
The High Commissioner said that the fact that some of Pakistani products, such as cotton yarn, basmati rice, medicines, biscuits, spices, vermicellis, stationery, and furniture had gradually made inroads into the Mauritius market.
He, however, pointed out that potential still existed for not only expansion in exportable quantity of existing items, but also new items such as cement, arts and craft, dairy products, canned food, beef/mutton, livestock, embroidered garments, dry fruits, food stuffs, fresh fruits, (orange, mango, persimmon and grape), stainless steel, auto parts, motor cars and bicycles.
Besides, body frames, agricultural machinery, vegetables (potatoes, onions, chillies, tomatoes), sweet and confectionery items, fibre boats, beverages, electric fans, umbrellas, marble products, gemstone and jewellery and dairy products, etc could fetch a good market, he said.
Initial random survey of the market, conducted by the High Commission, showed a price difference of four to five times higher for the same quality and range of products in Mauritius as compared to the same commodities in Pakistan, although the rate of tariff were low there.
The average per capita income at 4,500 dollar in Mauritius, is 10 time higher as compared to Pakistan's 490 dollar.
In addition, the High Commission survey said the market of Madagascar was opening up after three decades of experimentation with socialism accompanied by resultant miseries.
As such, Pakistani firms could find non-traditional markets for their non-traditional products in Mauritius and Madagascar and all along the undiscovered East African coastal states, said the High Commission.
The High Commission, therefore, suggested that the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) embolden its officials and private sector to look at the emerging opportunities in that part of the world.
It also forwarded a set of documents of "inward manifest of cargo" for August 2003, which gave an idea of Mauritius imports from China, India and other regions.
The EPB's research department could build up a "portfolio of products" for possible exports to Mauritius and that region soon.
The High Commission expressed its willingness to facilitate the EPB's strategy and efforts to promote Pakistan's exports in that region.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2004

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