The Pakistan France Business Alliance (PFBA) was formed in 1991, with His Excellency Mr Jean Pierre Masset, the then Ambassador of France in Pakistan, as Chief Patron. His Excellency, Mr Regis De Belenet present Ambassador of France in Pakistan, is the Patron-In-Chief now.
The current President is Mr Jamil Hassan Hamdani who is the Managing Director of Credit Agricole (Suisse) SA Pakistan Representative Office. PFBA has also set up the Northern Chapter with its offices in Lahore, which is headed by Vice President Mr Rana Abdul Mannan.
PFBA aims to encourage and promote business, mutual understanding and friendly relations between the business communities of Pakistan and France. In pursuit of this, the Alliance encourages and facilitates the exchange of visitors and delegations between the two countries, maintains directories, periodicals and other literature regarding trade information on French companies; and assists in identifying and disseminating information relating to business opportunities between the two countries.
ECONOMY OF FRANCE France is one of the world's major economic powers. Agriculture plays a larger role than in the economies of most other industrial countries. A large proportion of the value of total agricultural output derives from livestock (especially cattle, hogs, poultry and sheep). The mountain areas and NW France are the livestock regions. The country's leading crops are wheat, sugar beets, corn, barley and potatoes, with the most intensive cultivation N of the Loire; the soil in the Central Massif is less fertile. Fruit growing is important in the south. France is among the foremost producers of wine in the world. The best-known vineyards are in Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhone and Loire valleys, and the Bordeaux region. The centers of the wine trade are Bordeaux, Reims, Epernay, Dijon, and Cognac.
France's leading industries produce machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metals, aircraft, electronics equipment, and foods (especially cheese). Advanced technology industries are growing as well. Tourism is an important industry, and Paris if famous for its luxury goods. In addition to the Paris area, important industrial cities are, in the northeast, Metz, Strasbourg, Roubaix, and Lille; in the south-east, Lyons, Saint-Etienne, clermont-Ferrand, and Grenoble; in the south, Marseilles, Toulouse, Nice, and Nimes; and in the west, Bordeaux and Nantes. Other important cities are Oreleans, Tours, Troyes, and Arles.
More than half of France's trade is with other European Union members. Japan, the United States, and China are also important trading partners. Leading exports are machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles, and clothing. Leading imports are crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, and iron and steel products. Nuclear energy furnishes 75% of all electricity produced in France. The chief ports are Rouen, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Brest, Saint-Nazaire, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulon, Dunkirk, and Marseilles.
France has an extensive railway system, the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais (SNCF). The first of a number of high-speed rail lines (TGVs) was completed in 1983, linking Paris and Lyons. Subsequent lines connected Paris to several other French cities, as well as Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and, via the Channel Tunnel, Great Britain.
The government previously had majority ownership in many commercial banks, some key industries, and various utilities, including the telephone system. There has been recent movement toward privatisation, with the government reducing its holdings in many companies, although it still controls energy production, public transportation, and defence industries.
(The writer is Former Secretary-General Pakistan France Business Alliance)
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