Saudi Minister’s Visit to Boost Pakistan-Saudi Agricultural Trade and Investment: FPCCI

LAHORE: The visit of Saudi Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdul Rahman Al-Fadley will provide fresh momentum to efforts aimed at strengthening bilateral economic relations and promoting tangible progress in agricultural trade, investment, research and joint ventures between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Talking to a delegation of food exporters here on Sunday, Convener of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional Committee on Food Shahid Imran said the Pakistani private sector was keen to deepen economic and agricultural cooperation with Saudi Arabia and translate the longstanding brotherly relations between the two countries into stronger trade, investment and mutually beneficial economic partnerships.

He said Pakistan wanted to significantly expand its exports of agricultural and food products to Saudi Arabia by leveraging the country’s vast agricultural potential, strengthening value chains and facilitating greater private-sector engagement.

Shahid Imran said both the government and private sector attached great importance to increasing exports of agricultural and food products to Saudi Arabia. He noted that a high-level delegation of Pakistani food exporters from South Punjab, led by Coordinator to the Federal Tax Ombudsman Saif Ur Rehman, was already visiting Riyadh to explore export opportunities and meet Saudi counterparts to help meet the country’s growing food requirements.

He said the establishment of a Pakistan-Saudi Agri Investment Fund would be a milestone in the history of the two brotherly countries and help further cement bilateral trade and investment ties.

Shahid Imran added that fresh memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between private-sector entities of the two countries would also have a positive impact on existing bilateral trade relations and open new avenues for cooperation in agriculture and food-related sectors.