"Our exports have registered an increase of 26.5% in the year 2010-11", he said in reply to a question asked by Mian Marghoob Ahmad of PML-N during the question-hour session.

He said since March 2008 till present the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) aggressively marketed the country's products in the world through participation in 184 prestigious international trade fairs, held across the globe and arranged visits of 39 outgoing and incoming delegations. The TDAP, he said had also organized 26 seminars, workshops and interactive session in the country.

He said with an aim to achieve market access and help remove restrictions of Pakistan's exports the TDAP invited various inspection missions of concerned authoritative from international market for inspection purpose. This helped in removing restrictions on the exports of kinnows, mangoes and rice to China and Iran and meat to UAE, he said.

To another question to another question asked by PML-N's Malik Shakeel Awan, he said Pakistan imported over 1.4 million metric ton sugar from different countries during the past three years to meet its domestic needs.

He said in the year 2008-09 Pakistan imported 125,743 metric ton sugar, while in the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 it imported 501,759 and 789,515 metric tons, respectively.

During these three years Pakistan imported sugar from Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, Guatemala, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Romania, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand, USA, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

He said the country exported 260,840 metric ton sugar during the year 2007-08, but the export of the commodity was banned in 2008-09 "which still continues." During that period sugar was exported to Afghanistan, Austria, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the United Kingdom, he said.