The delegation includes representatives of such industries as pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, foodstuff, biotechnology, steel, construction, furniture, travel and tourism.

The Pakistani delegation will hold several meetings with their Uzbek counterparts, including talks at the Tashkent Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The delegation would also conduct a market survey during its stay in Uzbekistan so that Pakistani businessmen could have knowledge of the potentials available in the Uzbekistan’s market.

The delegation would also review the MoU, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry had signed with Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Daily Times reported.

“Active engagement of the business community, frequent exchange of economic and trade delegations to identify the areas of mutual interest, arranging of single country exhibitions and exchange of information between countries are among the key objectives of the LCCI delegation”, the report said.

The leader of the LCCI delegation, Mian Tariq Rehman, prior leaving for Uzbekistan, said that the trade between the two countries had considerably increased over the last few years. Goods worth US$20 million were traded between the two countries in 2008 compared to only US$13 million 2006. During the year 2008 Pakistan imported goods worth US$18.024 million, its export to Uzbekistan were only US$2.8 million.

He said another striking feature of Pakistan’s trade with Uzbekistan was that Pakistan’s exports to Uzbekistan were on the decline. While Pakistan’s exports to Uzbekistan amounted to US$6 million in 2004 and exports were only US$1.75 million only.