KARACHI: Pakistan and Indonesia agreed to deepen bilateral trade and economic cooperation, with discussions under way to upgrade the existing Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), as officials from both sides emphasized expanding trade in goods and services during an Indonesian Palm Oil Networking Reception held here at hotel on Friday.
Speaking at the event, Indonesian Vice Minister of Trade, Ms Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, said Indonesia and Pakistan were working to broaden economic cooperation beyond traditional trade, particularly by including the services sector under a future CEPA framework.
She said services trade would help balance bilateral trade and identified Pakistan’s healthcare sector especially doctors and dentists as an area with strong potential for cooperation.
The vice minister highlighted palm oil as a strategic commodity in bilateral trade and said Pakistan’s edible oil demand had increased by 22 percent, reflecting a growing market. She thanked Pakistan for its trust in Indonesia as a major palm oil supplier and said Indonesia would continue to meet Pakistan’s requirements.
She said the Indonesian government was committed to following up on decisions taken during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Pakistan in December 2025, stressing the need for timely technical work to upgrade trade arrangements. She added that cooperation was also being pursued in agriculture, food security, Halal certification, health, SMEs, technology, innovation, and defence and security.
The vice minister said Indonesia–Pakistan relations were evolving from a traditional friendship into a structured and future-oriented partnership, adding that business-to-business engagement was essential to translate government-level discussions into tangible outcomes.
During the event, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed under the Indonesia–Pakistan Joint Trade Commission.
Federal Minister for Trade and Commerce Jam Kamal Khan said Indonesia had become Pakistan’s largest supplier of edible oil, accounting for over 74 percent of the country’s edible oil consumption, making Indonesia a key partner in Pakistan’s food supply chain.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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