Islamabad: Bilateral trade between India and Pakistan has taken a significant step forward with at least five Pakistani companies approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) starting to export cement to India while five more manufacturers have applied for certification.

"A total of 11 cement companies have been cleared by the BIS and four more have applied to get approval for export," Shahzad Ahmed, secretary of All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), told IANS.

He said five companies have started export of cement through the sea and rail routes. Ahmed added that at present no company is sending cement by road, though both governments in Pakistan and India have given approval for it.

"But according to the bilateral agreement between two governments, only a truck of ten tonnes can cross the border, which is not viable in case of cement," Ahmed said, adding that they have requested the governments to allow trucks that can carry more.

At present Pakistan produces about 100,000 tonnes of cement and 40,000 tonnes of it is in excess of local consumption. "We have surplus cement which we need to export and our factories have more production capacity," said Ahmed.

Source : IANS