Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce has approached the federal cabinet seeking approval to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Gambia to strengthen bilateral cooperation in agricultural trade, with a particular focus on rice exports.

According to sources, the initiative follows a request from the Gambian government to the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) for establishing structured government-to-government (G2G) trade arrangements for agricultural commodities.

The development comes after recent engagements facilitated by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), during which Gambian officials showed strong interest in importing Pakistani rice. The Gambia has reportedly signaled a demand of around 145,000 metric tons.

Following these discussions, TCP initiated formal negotiations with Gambian authorities to develop a framework for long-term trade cooperation under the proposed MoU.

Officials said the agreement would create an institutional mechanism for direct state-level coordination between both countries, enabling organized supply of rice and other agricultural products through TCP.

They added that the arrangement is expected to enhance Pakistan’s export reach, improve food trade cooperation, and support economic diplomacy by opening new markets in Africa while reducing reliance on intermediaries.

The draft MoU has already been cleared by the Law Division and endorsed by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry of Commerce has recommended that the federal cabinet authorize TCP to finalize and sign the agreement with its Gambian counterpart, allowing the Chairman/CEO of TCP to execute the MoU on behalf of Pakistan.