In a renewed push to deepen economic ties, Pakistan and Bangladesh have placed special focus on enhancing trade in key sectors, including sugar, during high level talks held in Dhaka on Thursday. Pakistan’s Minister of Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan, and Bangladesh’s Adviser for Commerce, Sk Bashir Uddin, explored ways to promote mutual investments and streamline bilateral trade, with sugar highlighted among other products.
Officials stated that the two nations are working toward forming a Joint Working Group on Trade, aimed at bolstering economic cooperation and improving trade mechanisms. Both sides also agreed to revive the long-dormant Joint Economic Commission (JEC), last convened in 2005, to craft a detailed roadmap for increasing trade and investment. A new Joint Trade Commission is also in the pipeline to define clear commercial goals and outline actionable steps for future engagements, according to the local media report.
The Minister and Adviser discussed sectors including agricultural modernisation, renewable energy, steel industry, green ship breaking, ship building, dates, minerals, construction aggregates, halal trade, sugar, leather, rice, dehydrated fruits and agro-processing. It was noted that connectivity and logistics for trade should be improved and economised for cost-cutting, officials said.
The talks also addressed potential tariff reductions and preferential access for select Bangladeshi products in Pakistani markets. Both countries acknowledged significant untapped trade potential and committed to creating an environment conducive to expanded economic activity.
The Minister of Commerce for Pakistan, Jam Kamal Khan, also held a meeting with Bangladesh’s Adviser for Food, Ali Imam Majumdar, in Dhaka on the same day to discuss possible collaborations in food security, the officials said.
Both sides expressed satisfaction at the MoU on rice between Trading Corporation of Pakistan and the Directorate General of Food, Bangladesh – signed in January 2025, under which Pakistan has successfully delivered 50,000 MT of rice. It was agreed that the MoU will work as a gateway for regular exchanges of delegations on both government-to-government and business-to-business levels for enhancing trade of essential commodities, they said.
The Minister also noted that the upcoming 3rd International Food and Agricultural Exhibition (FoodAg), which is being held in Karachi on 25-27 November 2025, provides an opportunity for Bangladeshi businesses and government officials to have an in-depth understanding of Pakistan’s agricultural landscape, they said.
The Adviser and the Minister stressed the need to enhance the yield of crops by improving agricultural practices to meet the growing demands of food commodities in both countries.
The meeting concluded with the commitment to build on the present collaboration through multiple stakeholder engagement and joint efforts.
