ISLAMABAD, Wednesday, January 28, 2026 (WNP): Pakistan and Türkiye have stepped up efforts to strengthen bilateral trade cooperation, with a particular focus on expanding Pakistan’s rice exports, as Islamabad seeks to protect farmer incomes and maintain competitiveness in increasingly crowded global markets.

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan held detailed talks with Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Irfan Neziroglu at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reviewing existing trade arrangements and exploring new mechanisms to enhance agricultural exports, especially rice. The engagement was held on the directives of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who has identified agricultural exports as a priority area for economic growth.

During the meeting, the commerce minister underscored that Pakistan has achieved a strong rice harvest this season, ensuring both high quality and sufficient exportable surplus. He cautioned, however, that aggressive pricing by major exporters, particularly India and Vietnam, has intensified competition in international markets, placing downward pressure on prices despite Pakistan’s robust export volumes.

To address these challenges, Jam Kamal Khan said the government, in close coordination with rice exporters and industry stakeholders, has put in place a pricing support mechanism aimed at maintaining Pakistan’s competitiveness. Under this framework, Pakistan is prepared to align its export prices with prevailing international rates to ensure that overseas buyers do not face cost disadvantages when sourcing rice from Pakistan.

Emphasizing Pakistan’s readiness to meet Türkiye’s demand, the minister said both basmati and non-basmati varieties could be supplied at internationally competitive prices.

He urged Türkiye to consider increasing import volumes from Pakistan as a special arrangement, stressing that Islamabad’s immediate priority is to enhance export volumes rather than maximize prices, in order to sustain farmer livelihoods and the broader agricultural value chain.

Both sides discussed the activation of government-to-government (G2G) trade channels alongside existing private-sector arrangements. Under the proposed approach, Pakistan’s state trading entities would work with relevant Turkish public and private institutions, including state-owned grain procurement bodies, to facilitate bulk purchases where price competitiveness can be ensured.

Market-access issues also featured prominently in the discussions. The commerce minister raised concerns regarding tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), import licensing procedures, and the scope for zero or reduced tariffs on basmati rice. He called for improved utilization and possible expansion of the existing TRQ of 18,000 metric tons under the Pakistan–Türkiye Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), noting that procedural hurdles had limited its effective use in previous years.

Ambassador Neziroglu welcomed Pakistan’s proposals and reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to deepening economic cooperation.

He observed that bilateral trade remains well below its potential despite strong political ties, recalling the jointly agreed target of reaching USD 5 billion in bilateral trade, set under the Pakistan–Türkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.

Both sides agreed that stronger engagement between business communities is essential to translating political goodwill into commercial outcomes. Plans were discussed for increased trade delegations, exhibitions, and business-to-business interactions to raise awareness of market opportunities. It was also agreed that technical delegations would meet in the coming weeks to advance discussions on rice trade, PTA enhancement, and broader cooperation in agriculture, food processing, and value-added rice products, including parboiled rice.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to fast-track technical consultations, improve quota utilization, and expand Pakistan’s presence in the Turkish and regional rice markets, including potential opportunities for re-exports to neighboring countries, reinforcing agricultural trade as a key pillar of Pakistan–Türkiye economic relations.