The Ministry of Commerce has moved a summary to the federal cabinet seeking approval to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Gambia aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation in agricultural trade, with a particular focus on rice exports.
The initiative follows a request from the Gambian government to the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) for establishing formal government-to-government (G2G) arrangements to facilitate the import of agricultural commodities.
According to officials, the development comes after recent discussions facilitated by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), during which Gambian representatives expressed strong interest in importing Pakistani rice. Gambia has reportedly indicated a demand of around 145,000 metric tons.
In response, TCP initiated negotiations with Gambian authorities to develop a structured framework under the proposed MoU to regulate and streamline trade cooperation between the two countries.
Officials said the agreement would create an institutional mechanism for direct state-to-state coordination, enabling TCP to manage the supply of rice and other agricultural goods. The move is expected to strengthen Pakistan’s export capacity, enhance food security collaboration, and expand access to African markets while reducing reliance on private intermediaries.
The draft MoU has already received clearance from the Law Division, while the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have also endorsed the proposal.
The Ministry of Commerce has now recommended that the federal cabinet authorize TCP to formally sign the agreement with the Gambian side, empowering the Chairman/CEO of TCP to execute the MoU on behalf of the Government of Pakistan.
