Pakistan and Mauritius sign Preferential Trade Agreement
Daily Times (Pakistan) | 28 November 2007
Pakistan and Mauritius sign Preferential Trade Agreement
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Mauritius have decided to accord each other preferential status effective November 30, 2007, under the bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).
According to a press release, the PTA applies to a large number of products traded between the two countries. The Mauritian market has a good potential for Pakistani exports and can also serve as a gateway to the entire African region. The PTA will therefore ensure that Pakistani products have an edge over the products of other countries in the Mauritian market.
In order to put the Pakistan-Mauritius PTA in operation from November 30,2007, the Pakistan government has issued an SRO (No. 1151(I)/2007) in which a 50 percent Margin of Preference of existing tariff rates has been granted to 64 products, including flowers, fruits, tea, sugar, sea food and soap. This Margin of Preference shall increase to 100 percent from November 30, 2008. Similarly, the Margin of Preference ranging from 35 percent to 50 percent and a tariff rate quota ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 pieces has been granted on 66 textile made up items.
Mauritius has offered a Margin of Preference ranging from 15 percent to 30 percent for the first year of the PTA on 102 Pakistan Customs Tariff lines which includes products such as flowers, fruits, cereals, tobacco items, salt, marble, carpets, bed linen, textile furnishing articles, electrical machinery and microwave ovens. This Margin of Preference will increase to the range of 50 percent to 100 percent from November 30, 2008.
