October 29, 2025
DHAKA – Pakistan has expressed interest in importing jute from Bangladesh today, following the resumption of the Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting in Dhaka after a two-decade hiatus.
Speaking to reporters at the Planning Commission, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said the two-day meeting discussed cooperation in several sectors, including agriculture, information technology, food, aviation, and shipping.
Pakistan specifically showed interest in bilateral trade, including jute imports, he said, adding that both sides stressed the need for reviving regional cooperation under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
During the July-September period of the current fiscal year (FY) 2025-26, Bangladesh’s exports to Pakistan grew 17 percent year-on-year to $18.48 million, up from $15.74 million a year ago.
Pakistan’s import of jute and jute yarn, however, declined 36 percent year-on-year to $3.58 million in the July-September quarter of FY2026, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau.
The JEC, the highest-level institutional mechanism for economic cooperation between the two countries, last met in 2005 in Islamabad.
Officials said the current session aims to enhance trade, reduce non-tariff barriers, and expand collaboration in education, manpower export, and industrial sectors.
Bangladesh’s delegation is led by Finance Adviser Ahmed, while Pakistan’s team is headed by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik.
Officials noted that annual trade between the two countries remains below $1 billion.
In the FY2025, Bangladesh imported goods worth $787 million from Pakistan and exported goods worth only $80 million.