Islamabad (GNP): Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) hosted a seminar with Dutch envoy, titled “Enhancing Bilateral Trade between Pakistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands,” bringing together business leaders to discuss ways of unlocking greater trade and investment potential between the two countries through innovation, value addition, and technology transfer.
Welcoming participants, ICCI President Sardar Tahir Mehmood noted that the Netherlands, known as a major European hub for trade, logistics, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing, offers considerable opportunities for cooperation with Pakistan.
He said Pakistan values its long-standing friendship with the Netherlands and believes there is significant room to deepen the existing economic relationship — including through greater trade diversification, joint ventures, and increased Dutch investment. He pointed to Pakistan’s strategic location, large population, young workforce, growing IT sector, and strong agricultural base as key draws for foreign investors, identifying sectors such as agri-technology, dairy, food processing, textiles, renewable energy, and water resource management as areas with strong potential for collaboration.
Dutch Perspective on Bilateral Trade
Alexander Akerboom, First Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Dutch Embassy, noted that the Netherlands already ranks as Pakistan’s second-largest trading partner within the EU, behind Germany, with the broader European market remaining one of Pakistan’s most important export destinations. He credited the EU’s GSP+ trade scheme with helping expand Pakistan’s exports and boost employment while raising the profile of Pakistani products in Europe.
Despite this strong foundation, Akerboom said significant opportunities remain untapped, encouraging Pakistani exporters to shift toward higher-value, finished textile products rather than raw or semi-processed goods, given strong European demand in that segment. He also pointed to agriculture, water management, and climate-smart technologies as key areas for future cooperation, noting that Dutch expertise in irrigation and seed technology could help Pakistan address climate-related agricultural challenges while improving food security.
He also praised the quality of Pakistani agricultural exports, singling out Pakistani mangoes as among the best he has tasted anywhere, and cited Pakistan’s football manufacturing industry as an example of the country’s growing reputation for manufacturing excellence. He expressed confidence that stronger business ties and continued collaboration would help further strengthen the Pakistan-Netherlands economic partnership.
ICCI Senior Vice President Tahir Ayub moderated the discussion, highlighting the resilience and work ethic of the Dutch people.
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Discussion and Attendees
The seminar closed with a question-and-answer session covering opportunities to expand trade, improve market access, and strengthen institutional ties between the business communities of both countries. Attendees included ICCI Vice President Irfan Chaudhry, Executive Members Waseem Chaudhry and Zulqurnain Abbasi, former Senior Vice President Khalid Chaudhry, and senior ICCI members including Sajid Iqbal, Mudassar Malik, and Nadeem Mansoor, among others.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
