Pakistan's Trade Fair 2012

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Expo expected to fetch $1b worth of orders

KARACHI: With more international buyers committing to arrive this year, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) is targeting business deals of $1 billion from its annual flagship exhibition – Pakistan Expo 2012 – starting from October 4 in Karachi.

“Last year, we got foreign orders worth $517 million when 500 overseas buyers visited the Expo. Going a step further, this year we are targeting $1 billion worth of orders,” said TDAP Chief Executive Tahir Raza Naqvi while speaking at a pre-event press conference at the TDAP head office here on Monday.

Naqvi, who took office two months ago, said at least 670 buyers from 70 countries had confirmed their participation in the Expo, which will continue until October 7, and expected the total number to cross 1,000.

“This year, we are expecting more foreign buyers than last year, so we anticipate much more business deals between local and foreign businessmen,” he said.

“This is our flagship event and provides a good opportunity to dispel the negative impression of Pakistan from the minds of foreign businesspersons,” said Naqvi. “We are using all our resources to make the event successful because Pakistan desperately needs such events to showcase ‘Made in Pakistan’ products.”

He claimed that gradually the Expo was gaining popularity not only among local exhibitors, but also among foreign buyers.

Replying to a question, he put expenditures made on Expo 2011 at Rs90 million and said the expenses would be restricted to Rs100 million this year. “We know we have limited funds, which is why we are trying to make the most from our limited resources.”

TDAP will try to take the help of technology to follow up expected business deals. “We want to make sure that local exhibitors and foreign buyers build up long-term partnerships so that we can attract more foreign buyers in coming years.”

Among foreign visitors, 35 buyers are expected to come from Japan, 68 from Malaysia, 35 from Poland, 22 from Spain, 23 from India, 18 from Russia and 16 each from Brazil and Nigeria.

Like previous year, TDAP is also organising a fashion show to promote the country’s textile products and designer lawns, which have got extraordinary response in Indian and other foreign markets in recent years.

TDAP officials are very pleased to see the popularity of Pakistani brands of designer lawns in foreign markets, especially India, something they especially promoted in recent years.

TDAP has booked all six halls at the Karachi Expo Centre and 300 stalls have already been sold to local and foreign exhibitors. Its officials claim that they have sold all stalls without giving any concession to local exhibitors in order to attract only serious exhibitors to make the event successful.

They are expecting better response this year and have booked 500 rooms in five-star hotels in Karachi at a discounted rate of $100 a day, which is at least 50% less than the market rate.

The first two days of the exhibition will be open for foreign buyers only while the last two days will be for general public.

Expo expected to fetch $1b worth of orders – The Express Tribune

 

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Expo Pakistan 2012 kicks off in Karachi with participation of 2,500 exhibitors

The 7th Expo Pakistan 2012 kicked off here on Thursday at the Karachi Expo Centre, with participation of around 2,500 of local and international exhibitors, as well as delegates and guests from over 70 countries around the world.
The four-day event, organized by the Pakistani Ministry of Commerce and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) is the country's biggest international trade fair, displaying collage of finest export merchandise and services of Pakistan, as well as providing international exhibitors an opportunity to showcase and launch their products on a large scale.
The first two days of the event are open for trade visitors, as well business roundtable and business to business (B2B) meetings to be conducted between international buyers and Pakistani exporters. The final two days would be open for the public. Also, fashion shows to be featured during the first two days of the exhibition, showcasing and promoting Pakistan's textile products and designer lawns.
The exhibition is being organized in six halls and about 300 stalls, of various sizes, were already reserved by local and international exhibitors, showcasing various lines of products of different fields such as textiles, clothing, engineering, food, agricultural products, surgical, pharmaceutical, sports goods, information technology, home decoration, handcrafts, gems and jewellery, auto and auto parts, leather, minerals and metals, cosmetics, herbal items, carpets, rugs, meat, and fisheries.
Prior to the opening of the exhibition, an inaugural ceremony was held on Wednesday night by the Governor of Sindh Dr. Ishrat-Ul-Ebad Khan at the House of the Governor in Sindh province, southeast of Pakistan, in honour of guests and participants. The ceremony was attended by several senior Pakistani officials and a large number of international delegates, exhibitors, diplomats, and business representatives.
"Pakistan's exports had hit USD 25 billion mark a year back and there is huge potential to increase Pakistan's exports to higher level," Khan said in his speech during the ceremony, expressing his gratitude to international guests for attending and taking part in this mega event.

KUNA : Expo Pakistan 2012 kicks off in Karachi with participation of 2,500 exhibitors - Economics - 04/10/2012

 

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UK companies attending Expo Pakistan 2012

KARACHI: The UK companies are visiting Karachi to attend the 7th Expo Pakistan 2012 Exhibition being held here.

An announcement of the British Deputy High Commission in Karachi said that around 30 companies from the United Kingdom, recruited by the Pakistan High Commission in London and the Pakistani Consulate in Manchester, arrived here on Thursday to attend the 7th Expo Pakistan being held at the Karachi Expo Centre.
It said that these companies belong to an assortment of the sectors ranging from textile, agriculture, information technology, sports goods, home-ware, food etc, who are interested in export opportunities with Pakistan.
The UK consultants from the service industry will also be attending the exhibition.

The delegation is being led by Consul/Commercial Secretary of the Pakistan High Commission in UK, Muhammad Haimd Ali.

The Expo Pakistan, which is the largest showcase of Pakistan's export merchandize and service, has been attracting large number of foreign buyers each year. In 2011, up to 600 buyers from more than 52 countries participated in the event and the business worth dollars 518 million was generated during the exhibition.
Muhammad Hamid Ali said that UK is one of Pakistan's most important markets and that the bilateral trade between the two countries is on a steady rise due to the focused efforts and commitment of both the governments to achieve the target of pounds 2.5 billion by the year 2015.
He said that the recent duty waiver from the European Union on 75 products from Pakistan will encourage the British businesses to buy from Pakistan and also hoped that the Expo Pakistan 2012 will provide a useful opportunity to avail this duty waiver.

The British Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi, Francis Campbell, said that Pakistan presents numerous and significant opportunities for investments aiming both at using Pakistan as an export base and at tapping into an emerging market with a rapidly growing middle class.

He said that the UK companies have the latest knowledge and technology in the areas of agriculture, healthcare and energy which are much needed in Pakistan to develop the country's industrial base.

Francis Campbell further stated that events like Expo Pakistan facilitate this exchange of people, knowledge and ideas and are crucial in achieving our objective to increasing bilateral trade between UK and Pakistan.

UK companies attending Expo Pakistan 2012

 

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Expo Pakistan 2012 sees Kuwaiti participation

KARACHI, Oct 6 (KUNA) -- A Pakistani trade official indicated here on Saturday that various Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and trading companies, including Kuwait, are taking in the 7th Expo Pakistan 2012, currently held at the Karachi Expo Centre.
Abdul Kabeer Kazi, secretary of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), explained, in an interview with KUNA, that international buyers and guests from over 70 countries have taken interest in Pakistani-made products such as textile, handicraft, construction, agriculture, and food.
"The expo has benefited Pakistan's relations with other countries, especially Arab and GCC countries," Kazi noted, adding that "there were no delegations last year from Kuwait. This year; however, honourable guests from Kuwait are visiting us and I believe they would carry the message to Kuwait that this is the place for trade, and this is how it is going to multiply in the Arab world." Furthermore, he noted that this year there are more Pakistani companies that are taking part in the expo, showcasing various "Made in Pakistan" products, as well as over 530 international buyers who were already in the country prior to the opening of the expo.
"This Expo actually shows our commitment to further exploring the export potential of Pakistan. It also shows we have around 350 Pakistani exhibitors who are displaying local made products in all six halls of the expo, and we are so thankful to international guests, who are here and now visiting those halls. Therefore, I'm sure that this kind of activity is going to further improve the export potential of Pakistan," said Kazi "There are more Pakistani exhibitors and more products displayed in the expo now. I believe the figure is going to go up this year. It was around USD 518 million. This year it should go beyond USD 700 to USD 750 million," added the Pakistani official.
In addition, he disclosed that his country's government is now preparing a follow-up mechanism in place, with the assistance of Pakistani trade officers abroad, to monitor trade agreements and contract procedures between international buyers and Pakistani companies.
"If there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between a buyer and a manufacturer, we would follow it up whether it materializes or not." said Kazi.
The 7th Expo Pakistan 2012 kicked off last Thursday with participation of around 2,500 of local and international exhibitors, as well as delegates and guests from over 70 countries around the world.
Many international companies are taking part in this year's expo, representing countries such as China, Japan, UK, USA, France, Brazil, Greece, Argentina, Belgium, South Africa, South Korea, Poland, Russia, Malaysia, Nigeria, New Zealand, India, Panama, Hong Kong, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Syria, and Egypt.
Around 12 Kuwaiti companies from different fields of trading are participating in Expo Pakistan 2012, including Food Centre for Foodstuff Company, Global United Company, Kalendar International Trading Company, Universal Al-Abrar for Foodstuff and Meat Trading, Hussain Qaiser International LTD, Mujezat Al-Shifa General Trading Company, Bait Al-Eman Electrical, Al-Eman Control Air Condition Elevator Maintenance Company, Nusaiba Contracting FST, Queen Istanbul EST, Lmar Home Furnishing Company, and Al-Yusra Company.
The four-day event is Pakistan's biggest international trade fair. It displays the country's finest export merchandise and services, as well as provides international exhibitors an opportunity to showcase and launch their products on a large scale.
The first two days of the event were booked for trade visitors, while the final two days would be open to the public. Fashion shows were, also, featured during the first two days of the exhibition, in which Pakistan's textile products and designer lawns were promoted and showcased.

KUNA : Expo Pakistan 2012 sees Kuwaiti participation - Economics - 06/10/2012

 

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Expo Pakistan 2012: $350 million deals struck in three days

Pakistan may succeed to make $690 million business deals as a result of Expo Pakistan 2012, which is aimed creating more markets for Pakistani products abroad. Local firms have struck business deals worth over $350 million. Over 710 foreign buyers from 67 countries visited Expo Pakistan 2012 as compared to 582 foreign visitors attended the country's biggest trade fair.

Addressing a press conference, here at Expo Centre on Saturday, Tahir Raza Naqvi, Chief Executive of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), said that Pakistani companies have signed multiple agreements/ Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with various foreign firms for making trade and investment in multiple sectors. Members of a Hong Kong based company met with project team of Kherpur Special Economic Zone and held talks with them for setting up a power plant worth $20 million, he said. TDAP also presented the following important figures: Around 1912 business meetings were held between the buyers and the Pakistani exhibitors/manufacturers. Foreign buyers made 1648 visits to different products stalls.

As per feedback received from the exhibitors, tentative business negotiations of around US $350 million have been made on the stalls. On the invitations of the exhibitors various delegates are visiting the factories located in Lahore, Sialkot, and Faisalabad to further finalise the deals after inspecting the quality of production. Pakistani exporters are holding follow-up meetings with the foreign buyers in the afternoon and it is likely that this whole business interaction would generate another & 300 million. Still one day of the exhibition left and business dealing are in progress. As such additional business is expected up to the conclusion of Expo Pakistan on October 7. It is expected that Expo Pakistan 2012 would be able to generate business of $690 million upon finalisation of deals.

Talking about MoUs signed between local and international firms, Naqvi said that multiple MoUs have been signed by KCCI with: Pakistan Chamber of Commerce USA, Malaysia Chamber of Commerce, Russian Business Council Co-operation for Pakistan, Hong Kong Cable Council Co-operation, Pak Malaysia Business Council and Pak China Cultural Business Society. Sindh Board of Investment has signed MoU with Japanese delegation for investment in Japan Special Economic Zone in Sindh province. According to him TDAP had facilitated the foreign buyers with services of interpreters in Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, Arabic, German and Russian.

During Expo Pakistan 2012, Federal Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Faheem, met with high level delegations from India and Nigeria. The Chief Executive TDAP and the Secretary TDAP Kabir Kazi had meetings with the delegations from Hong Kong, Russia, Egypt, France, Bahrain, South Africa, Japan, Brazil, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Korea and China. He appreciated the co-operation extended by Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI), and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI). FPCCI President, Fazal Qadir Shirani, extended full support, and deputed different Vice Presidents who met with delegation of Brazil, Russia, Malaysia, Egypt, South Korea, Poland, Argentina, Afghanistan, Bahrain, USA, India, Bangladesh, China and South Africa.

KCCI President, Haroon Azhar and Mian Ibrar Ahmed, the former president met with delegations from USA, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, South Korea, Afghanistan, Poland, Bahrain, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Hong Kong, USA, Bangladesh, India, China, and Japan. TDAP has set up a dedicated B2B Secretariat at Expo Centre where separate halls have been allocated to KCCI and FPCCI for back-to-back meetings with foreign delegations and for signing of MoUs.

He said at least 700 foreign buyers were sponsored by TDAP as per the category set by the authority while rest of around 1000 foreign visitors had attended the event by their own expenses. Later he also appreciated those commercial officers who had managed bringing potential foreign delegates.

Expo Pakistan 2012: $350 million deals struck in three days | Business Recorder

 

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Pak products at Expo attracts Japanese

KARACHI - The Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO) delegation has visited the Expo Pakistan 2012. The delegates visited all exhibition halls and shown keen interest in Pakistani products that put on place at Expo Centre here on Sunday. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan Chief Executive Tahir Raza Naqvi conducted meeting with JETRO and discussed how to increase export from Pakistan to Japan. During the discussion, export sectors were identified which have much potential for Japanese markets.The delegates were informed that country paramount trade promotion organization was working for increasing business ties with Japan. The Chief Executive, TDAP also had a lunch with JETRO delegation in Expo Center along with Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries officials. Expo Center Karachi continued to remain the centre of business activity on the last day of Expo Pakistan 2012 as foreign delegates paid visit to different stalls and also conducted about hundred B2B meetings.The different trade bodies continued to bring trade delegates at Expo. This is to be noted that the trade bodies, exhibitors and buyers lauded the efforts of TDAP in organising a successful event despite all odds. The inauguration ceremony of Expo Pakistan 2012 was held in Governor House on 3rd October, 2012 in the presence of Governor Sindh, Senior Ministers, diplomats, TDAP management, foreign delegates and exhibitors of Expo Pakistan 2012.Overall 356 exhibitors, who are the leading exporters of Pakistan, was setup their stalls in Expo Pakistan as compared to 295 of last year.

Pak products at Expo attracts Japanese | The Nation

 

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Expo Pakistan 2012 sheds new light on surgical industry

KARACHI, Oct 8 (KUNA) -- The 7th Expo Pakistan 2012, which was held at the Karachi Expo Centre from October 4 to October 7 has featured around 350 Pakistani companies and manufactures that showcased various Pakistani made products of different fields of life.
Products from surgical, industrial, commercial, cultural, and sports fields were displayed to over 1,000 international business representatives, buyers, and guests.
Out of these fields, the surgical was one of an interest especially for many European and North American guests and buyers due to participation of around 16 Pakistani surgical companies for the first time in the expo.
The surgical industry in Pakistan is based mainly in the city of Sialkot, where over 1,000 surgical unites manufacture and export instruments to countries from all over the world.
Syed Fiaz Bukhari, a local owner of a surgical manufacturing company named A.L.M. Surgicare, based in Sialkot, pointed out in an interview with KUNA that Pakistani surgical equipment were already reaching US, European, and Middle Eastern markets in large number.
"We are manufacturers of surgical instruments and we have our own manufacturing units that supply the best quality instruments to all over the world. We are even a main supplier to German manufactures," Bukhari said.
"We are also supplying to GCC countries, especially Kuwait. We have three to four Kuwaiti customers, most prominently is Al-Rabiah Medical Center," he added, pointing out at the same time that his company's trade volume of annual exports to Kuwait is worth USD 150,000.
Also, Bukhari noted that he exports his products to some Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, adding that he also exports to some European and North American countries such as UK, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, and United States.
"We hope to expand our businesses further and we are trying to promote our products by participating in many worldwide exhibitions and events such as this Expo Pakistan, as well as other exhibitions Germany, Korea, USA, and Indonesia," said the Pakistani businessman.
He indicated that Pakistani surgical instruments are known throughout the world for their competitiveness, effectiveness, and durability, pointing out that they are earning "precious" foreign exchange worth millions of dollars for the country.
"We have our own products and we are producing them in a very high quality. Expo Pakistan would also help Pakistan's economy and attract international buyers and investors from various countries to visit Karachi," Bukhari noted to KUNA.
On his part, Jehangir Bajwa, chairman of Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP), he told KUNA that Expo Pakistan is a very important event for the Pakistani surgical industry.
"This year; around 16 companies from the surgical industry in Pakistan are taking part for the first time in this expo and displaying their products, which indicates how important this event is for our industry," said Bajwa.
He noted that Expo Pakistan would have a very positive and good impact on Pakistani economy due to its popularity among international visitors from around the globe.
"Our embassies around the world through their commercial consolers are inviting large number of potential buyers to visit this expo and it will benefit Pakistani exports, as well as Pakistani medical field," Bajwa told KUNA.
On the other hand, Bajwa expressed his hope that GCC countries would increase their imports of surgical instruments from Pakistan due to the products' high quality and low costs. "We always stress on the subject of eliminating the role of mediators because some German companies which import medical instruments from our manufacturers in cheap prices, he said, indicating that "they would, afterwards, attach their own logo on the instruments and export them in very high prices to some GCC countries, including Kuwait." Also, he disclosed that the country's surgical exports are estimated at around USD 225 million, while the total capital investment in the surgical industry is estimated at PKR 20 billion.
In addition, Bajwa pointed out to KUNA that there are about 1,000 to 1,200 active small and medium surgical units. The number of workers in the surgical industry is about 500,000. The industry manufactures about 110 million instruments annually.

KUNA : Expo Pakistan 2012 sheds new light on surgical industry - Economics - 09/10/2012

 

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Pakistan International Fair Karachi in 1962

Mr. Ahmed Dawood Pakistani industrialist, pioneer merchant and a philanthropist. He was the founder and eponym of the Dawood Group, talking to President Muhammad Ayub Khan.