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SAFTA

South Asia Free Trade Agreement


Will Asia’s largest FTA make a difference?
Unless there is enough political will to close potential loopholes disguised as “flexibility” and pursue reforms deeper than those ever before attempted, RCEP may be seen as serving the geopolitical interests of a few players, to little economic effect.
’Pakistan needs to review Pak-India trade pact’
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harvest Tradings Ahmed Jawad has said that to boost the trade with the neighbouring country the government needed to review the Pak-India trade agreement. Talking to INP here on Sunday, Ahmed Jawad said that there was no other option than enhancing trade to normalise the bilateral political and diplomatic relations with India.
Out of the frying pan...into trade liberalisation: SAFTA a disaster for Pakistan’s agriculture sector
The South Asia Free Trade Agreement (Safta) appears to be a ‘disaster’ for Pakistan’s agricultural sector and is backed only by the industrial lobby.
MFN status to Pakistan remains fruitless for agri sector: USAID
The Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan could not prove instrumental in increasing agriculture exports to India, observed a report sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Pak-India ties to pave way for S Asia Free Trade Zone
There are several safeguarding measures under WTO regime to save industry even after normalisation of trade with India, as delay in this regard will jeopardise the process of liberalisation of trade between the two neighbours.
BD-India bilateral trade up by 20pc
Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India rose nearly 20 per cent to more than US$ 4.50 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2011-12 following reduction of sensitive lists by the relevant authorities in both the countries in late 2011.
Duty-free access: Infrastructure hurdles restrict Pak-India trade
Businessmen and traders of Pakistan and India have agreed that infrastructure bottlenecks are hindering the growth in trade relations between the two sides and these should be removed to deepen the ties.
WTO hopes regional integration from Pak-India trade boost
The decision taken by Pakistan and India to scale down tariff to a maximum of 5% and remove all non-tariff barriers (NTBs) by 2020 will lead to regional integration, according to an official of the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Domestic manufacturers concerned over reduction in tariffs
Domestic manufacturers are having nightmares as the tariffs of imported finished goods from South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) member countries would come down to five percent from the next fiscal year, while the duties on raw materials used to produce same products remain much higher, an official said on Saturday.
Huge potential exists in Indian market for Pakistani items
Indian market has huge potential for Pakistani items, but experts are discussing India’s import impact on domestic economy, ignoring the potential of services sector exports to that country, according to speakers of a seminar on Thursday.
Changing partners in commerce
The calls to boycott American goods and services in the wake of the recent resolution at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) have highlighted the fact that Sri Lanka’s export trade is heavily dependent on a narrow slew of countries.
Financial services to be kept out of SAFTA talks: Government
The government has decided to exclude financial services from the SAARC agreement on trade in services, following strong objection from the Reserve Bank of India, or RBI. The central bank has argued that India has already allowed access to foreign banks under the World Trade Organization agreement.
India, Pakistan to start discussions on import duties cut
India and Pakistan will soon begin discussions on a preferential trading arrangement to lower import duties on an array of goods. The talks will be held under ambit of South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) signed eight years ago between member states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a senior Indian official said on Saturday.
Pak opens door to all Indian products
The Federal government’s decision to liberalise trade with India and cabinet approval to eliminate negative list by year end are going to open country’s doors to Indian products whereas Pakistan has nothing significant to export India except raw gypsum, salt and dry fruits.
SAARC countries agree to reform trade, visa regime
The eight member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation vowed to reduce the size of their respective sensitive lists of non-tradable items and expressed satisfaction over signing of the Saarc Agreement on Trade in Services.
Senate body briefed on MFN status to India
Trade liberalisation with India has partially been linked to signing of four agreements to remove all tariff and non-tariff barriers that hinder Pakistani exports to Indian market.
Saarc: PM may suggest economic integration
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh heads for the Maldives next week to participate in the 17th Saarc summit, it is expected that he will be suggesting some mechanisms to promote a greater level of regional economic integration.
Modest agenda on Saarc table, 4 pacts to be signed
With many of its big ideas still await implementation, the eight-member South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries seem to have gone for a modest agenda this time.
Pakistan’s last-minute retraction irks India
India is particularly displeased with Pakistan, after an early end to a party it was enjoying over Islamabad’s proposed grant of a ‘most favoured nation’ (MFN) status in bilateral trade. All eyes are now focused on Pakistan commerce secretary Zafar Mahmood’s upcoming India visit. This is likely to be followed by a sideline meeting between the prime ministers of the neighbouring countries.
Safta ’sensitive list’: 20 percent reduction approved
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 20 percent reduction (233 tariff lines) in sensitive list for South Asian Free Trade Area (Safta) which, according to the Commerce Ministry, will earn goodwill for the country.