The Trade and Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) Senior Director General Nusrat Jamshed has urged the Muslim world to establish an “Islam Trade Block” for enhancing the export of Halal products and services which are continuously increasing.
“Halal products zone capacity to export is expected to reach nearly $50 billion in the next two to three years, which may gear up $1.7 trillion in the next five years,” he said, while addressing a seminar on “Pakistan; land of opportunities”, organised by Mohammad Ali Jinnah University Karachi.
Jamshed further said that the world trade volume in 2013 was recorded around $17.9 trillion, while existing Halal market is estimated at about $7.1 trillion, including $3.92 trillion pertaining to the OIC members.
He emphasised on plans to establish and manage Halal Products Zones in Karachi and Lahore, and directed the Halal Processing Zone Authority to help and generate its industrial, commercial and service oriented activities.
“No doubt Pakistan is a land of opportunities and all kinds of resources are available, we just have to take advantage of them and bring them to use.”
He further informed that Pakistan was the fourth largest producer of milk, cotton and fruits in the world but when it came to the ‘top hundred countries in exports’, it ranked a disappointing 47.
He urged that in order to achieve the development goals, economic policies and implementations were a must.