ISLAMABAD – Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan on Wednesday called upon the Belarusian investors for establishing joint agriculture machinery manufacturing company in order to exploit the true potential of investment of agriculture sector of Pakistan.
Addressing the 4th meeting of Pakistan-Belarus joint working group for cooperation in agriculture, he said that the joint ventures in agriculture sectorwould be beneficial for both Pakistan and Belarus as it will create job opportunities for the local skilled and semi-skilled labour force besides providing the better returns for the investors of the Belarus.
The event was organised by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research in collaboration with Pakistan Agriculture Research Council PARC). During the meeting, ‘one nation exhibition’ was also organised in order to highlight the trade and investment opportunities existing in the agriculture sector of the both countries as well as to find out the areas of mutual interest for enhancing the cooperation between both the countries.
The minister expressed the government’s resolve for providing enabling environment for the foreign investors for establishing the joint ventures in agriculture sector of the country. He informed that local agriculture-sector comprises about 20 percent of national GDP, besides about 60 percent of the population was directly or indirectly connected with agriculture sector and it was a major source of raw material for local industry.
Bosan said that Pakistan was food secure country and it was producing surplus crops of wheat maize, mangoes and citrus fulfilling the food requirement of population of around 220 million, adding that agriculture sectorof the country was rapidly transforming into modern and mechanised farming. He said that this period of transformation was giving an opportunities to the investors of Belarus to get maximum benefit by initiating joint ventures with the local investors , which will be a win-win situation for both the countries.
He also invited the Belarus to explore the investment opportunities existing in areas of poultry production, halal meat, milk and dairy production and initiating the joint investments in meat and poultry processing and agriculture equipments.
He said that the continuity of such exhibition and business-to-business interaction would open new ways and means for the development of bilateral trade and investment links of the two countries, besides it would provide an input for the policy makers.
Addressing the meeting, the Belarus food and agriculture deputy minister said that the three meeting of the group has been held so far and various areas of mutual interest were discussed including the supply of poultry products and establishment of joint ventures in milk and meat processing. He asked for preparing a road map of future collaboration and preparing proposals for joint investment, which would be finalised in the mega exhibition to be held in Belarus.
Source The Nation