Ykohama-based Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is in discussions with the government of Pakistan about ways in which Japanese overseas development aid might be best used to assist textiles sector. Daisuke Fukumori, Deputy Director of JICA’s South Asia division, JICA works closely with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), which has sent a request for assistance. However, Fukumori was unable to disclose details of the agreement, but it is likely to include the provision of equipment and hardware, the dispatch of experts and financial assistance.

In 2015, JICA supported a delegation of Japanese business people to Expo Pakistan, the country’s largest trade fair, and arranged a delegation of executives from Pakistan’s leading textile companies to Thailand, where they visited three Japanese textile factories to experience quality control in the production process. Held in October 2015, a Pakistan-Japan Textile Day brought Japanese companies to Lahore and Faisalabad, and served to introduce manufacturers and buyers, while a workshop for Pakistani companies was held in Karachi the same month.

Meanwhile, annual imports of Pakistani textiles to Japan are valued at Japanese Yen JPY9.3bn ($80.5m), with yarns accounting for JPY3.7bn ($32m) of the total and fabrics a further JPY2.2bn ($19m).