French Commercial Consular Brigitte Bouvet has said that agriculture is a strong area for collaboration between Pakistan and France as Pakistan's agriculture produce is among the best in the world and it deserves to be one of the top exporting countries of agriculture, horticulture, dairy, livestock and food products.
Brigitte Bouvet expressed these views during her visit to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Friday. She said that there are number of other sectors in which both the sides could initiate joint ventures to take the existing volume of trade between the two countries to new heights. The French technology and equipment will help exploit Pakistan's agriculture potential, dairy and food processing sectors, she added.
The diplomat also praised the LCCI for its efforts aimed at increasing collaboration between the business communities of the two countries. LCCI President Shahid Hassan Sheikh urged the French diplomat to consider increasing imports from Pakistan, saying Pakistan has had a traditional edge in textiles, sports goods, leather products, carpets, cereals, fruits and vegetables over several countries.
Shahid Hassan said the LCCI was ready to ink a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chamber of Commerce in France to increase the level of exchange of information between the two countries.
He also informed that Pakistan was running short of electricity and French companies could come forward and avail this opportunity. Major areas where France and Pakistan can work together include telecommunication, automobiles, shipbuilding and automotive parts, defence equipment, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure, textiles, garments, leather products, electrical and electronics appliances, fruits and vegetables, livestock and dairy, fisheries, horticulture, storage facilities for agro-products and cool chains, he added.
He said that although Pakistan was the fifth largest milk producer in the world, the current industry was inadequate to meet the growing demand for milk and other dairy related products adding that the French Association for the Development of International Exchanges of Food, Agricultural products and Technologies can play a crucial role in this regard.
He further said that the investment cycle was gaining momentum. "Foreign investment has increased by almost three fold. Pakistan's stock market is one of the best performing markets of the world. It has outperformed markets in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Egypt and Turkey. The openness of government policies and transparency in transactions is attracting higher investments and Pakistan is geared to become a regional hub for trade and manufacturing. Pakistan is also destined to serve as an energy and trade corridor for Central Asian States and China," he added. Those also spoke were former LCCI presidents Ilyas M Chaudhry and Mian Misbahur Rehman and LCCI delegation head to France Kashif Younas Mehar.