French Association for Development of International Exchanges of Food & Technology (ADEPTA) is planning to hold two Business-to-Business meetings cum seminars in two big cities of the country during the months of November and December this year, to bring the Pakistani and French businessmen together.
The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) would be facilitating the French Association to arrange these seminars at Lahore and Karachi, said Smeda's General Manager Central Support, Anjum Ahmad while talking to Business Recorder here on Tuesday.
Anjum averred that around 25 French companies of dairy, livestock, fruit and vegetables and other Agro-base industries are expected to participate in these one-day seminars. Ten companies have already shown their consent to participate in these seminars.
He said that half day would be reserved for the presentation by different French companies about their products and services, while rest of the day would be allocated for Business-to-Business meetings between French and their Pakistani counterparts to search for prospective joint ventures.
Smeda official maintained that the participating companies of these seminars would also be taken on to field visit.
"We have planned to take French companies to small dairy plants and other places, so they can see in what position our dairy and other agro-base industry is and what they can do to improve the situation", he said.
Anjum Ahmad further said that Ms Brigitte Bouvet, Commercial Counsellor of the French Embassy Islamabad, had already visited the Smeda to discuss these programmes.
She held a meeting with Shahab Khawaja, CEO, Javed Afzal, Manager Training Services, Anjum Ahmad and Arshad Hashmi, Manager Punjab. The upcoming plan of holding two Business-to-Business events in Lahore and Karachi in November-December this year, to bring the Pakistan and French businessmen together, was also discussed.
She stated that the French companies would be interested in working in Pakistan for conversion of sugar industry from sugar cane to sugar beet.
The Smeda informed that it would co-ordinate with the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) on this matter, and would see any possibility of French assistance required in conducting a study on the subject, Anjum concluded.