Iran ready to start barter trade with Pakistan

Iranian Consul General Muhammad Hossain Bani Assadi on Mionday said that Iran is ready to start barter trade with Pakistan to facilitate the businessmen and to jack-up the volume of two-way trade.
He said this while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
The consul general said that Iranian government is well aware of the fact that the business community has been facing problems due to absence of banking channels but barter trade is the best way to tackle to issue till the establishment of banking mechanism between the two sides.
Over the issue of Iran-Pakistan Gas pipeline, the he said that the work on this mega project is in full swing while the Pakistani government has already agreed that the Iran could also spread gas pipeline up to 100 kilometres Pakistan.
He said that as soon as Pakistani government agrees to the proposal, other formalities would be finalised.
The Iranian consul general further said that the business community in the two countries would have to increase interaction to share their experiences in the larger interests of the people of two brotherly nations. He said that the volume of mutual trade between Pakistan and Iran does not match their respective potentials.
He said that chambers of commerce in the two countries would have to focus on expansion of trade by holding single country exhibitions and through trade delegations to each other’s country.
He said that dissemination of sector-specific and trade-related information would go a long way in achieving the goal. Both the countries should share their experiences in the filed of science and technology, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, the LCCI Senior Vice President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh reassured the Iranian consul general that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry would continue to play its role for increasing bilateral trade and economic relations.
The bilateral trade would get a boost as soon as the gas pipe line project with Pakistan and Iran is completed, he said.