SAARC trade portal launched to boost regional trade

Importers, exporters and small-medium enterprises of the South Asian region now have access to important trade-related information with a click of the mouse.

The portal -- www.saarctrade.info -- is launched here on Thursday.

The portal, first of its kind in South Asia, is a product of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Trade Information Project jointly implemented by the SAARC Information Center (SIC) Nepal and German Technical Cooperation with the funding support from German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The initiative enjoys support of 26 leading trade bodies, including trade departments, chambers and industrial associations from all eight SAARC member states.

The project, officially approved by the 38th SAARC standing committee held in Sri Lanka in 2004, aims at facilitating trade information system in the SAARC region. The project officially commenced in July 2008.

"The portal aims to facilitate trade information among the SAARC member nations," said Shreedhar Gautam, director of SIC.

The portal gives an easy access to trade database for traders by connecting trade databases within the SAARC nations to a common SAARC entry point for trade information.

Through this portal, a formal network of information providers from SAARC nations are connected with the main implementing partner SAARC Info Center.

Founded in 1985, the SAARC includes Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Source: Xinhua