Karachi, December 24, 2025 — The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has urged the government to urgently review existing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to help curb the widening trade deficit and ensure equitable benefits for Pakistani exporters.
Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, Acting President FPCCI, emphasized that several FTAs have disproportionately favored imports, while Pakistan’s export sector has not gained commensurate market access. He called for a comprehensive reassessment of all current FTAs, along with swift negotiation and activation of pending agreements, to avoid further trade imbalances in the future. According to him, trade agreements must be aligned with national export priorities and structured to protect local industry and agriculture.
The call comes amid growing concern over the recent decline in Pakistan’s food and agro-based exports. Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, recently held detailed consultations with FPCCI on the issue, following the Prime Minister’s directive to engage the business community in policy formulation. The minister acknowledged the genuine concerns of exporters and assured FPCCI of a structured consultative process on taxation, industrial policy, sector-specific measures, and export promotion initiatives.
Rana Tanveer Hussain further stated that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and its attached departments are working intensively to ensure the timely availability of high-quality seeds in sufficient quantities. He also committed to bringing federal secretaries from relevant ministries to the next FPCCI meeting to accelerate coordinated decision-making.
Highlighting key challenges, Saquib Fayyaz Magoon identified three critical areas behind the decline in food exports: the need to renegotiate FTAs with major trading partners, improved access to quality seeds for key crops, and enhanced facilitation for exporters to meet international compliance standards.
FPCCI Vice President Aman Paracha stressed that many FTAs have led to a surge in imports without reciprocal export growth. He called for a “trade-first diplomacy” approach, urging the inclusion of more value-added agro-based products and the removal of non-tariff barriers restricting Pakistani exports.
Another FPCCI Vice President, Tariq Jadoon, underscored the urgency of modernizing export compliance systems, particularly in response to rising global requirements for food safety and traceability. He urged faster government support to help exporters meet Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards for the EU, UK, and Gulf markets.
Concluding the discussion, FPCCI recommended the formation of a joint public-private task force to standardize export-oriented crops. The federation believes that improved seed technology, stronger compliance mechanisms, and fairer trade agreements could potentially double Pakistan’s agro-based exports within the next five years.