PAKISTAN has proposed to supply the Philippines up to one million metric tons (MMT) of rice via a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement, its ambassador to Manila said.
At the 23rd Ambassador’s Lecture Series, Pakistan’s Ambassador Asima Rabbani said negotiations have been ongoing to conclude a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on rice with the Philippines, alongside other farming and fisheries agreements.
“Pakistan wants to be a partner in the Philippines’ food security journey because we can supply the Philippines with a good amount of rice, and at a very competitive price,” Ms. Rabbani said.
In a Joint Economic Commission meeting with the Philippines in February, Pakistan discussed expanding its market access in the region, which Ms. Rabbani said presents hurdles to non-ASEAN members.
“Since we are not an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) country, that creates an issue with tariffs, and sometimes we are not competitive because of those tariffs,” Ms. Rabbani said.
She added that Islamabad is also seeking to collaborate with the Philippines in banking and finance, health and pharmaceuticals, and education, citing the Philippines’ experience with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) programs and the strength of its nursing industry.
“Pakistan wants to benefit from the technical institutes here. Your TESDA is a world-quality institute, and we are working on building linkages with them,” Ms. Rabbani said. “And also your nursing program here is world class, so Pakistan is looking in to help to collaborate in nursing. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel
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