Commerce ministry begins drafting trade and tariff policies for 2025-30

The Ministry of Commerce has started work on the Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 2025-30 and the National Tariff Policy to enhance Pakistan’s export competitiveness and improve overall export performance. 

According to a news report, the initiatives include proposals for private sector incentives and focus on achieving an ambitious export target of $60 billion by 2027-28.

The ministry has informed relevant federal ministries, provincial chief secretaries, and officials from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan that the current Strategic Trade Policy Framework (2020-25) will expire in June 2025. 

Input on the new framework has been requested by January 10, 2025. 

Meanwhile, the National Tariff Policy (NTP) 2019-24 is also under review. The National Tariff Commission (NTC) and the Tariff Policy Centre (TPC) analyzed 2,850 proposals from over 150 stakeholders. Of the 381 tariff lines recommended, only 116 were fully implemented, while 263 proposals were not executed due to revenue constraints. 

The Ministry of Commerce believes this non-implementation has hindered export growth.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established a committee on tariff rationalization to address these issues and streamline export processes.