KARACHI: Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, President FPCCI, has called on world-class Dutch companies to expand their presence in Pakistan; and looked for joint ventures and strategic partners to extend their footprint.

He noted that Dutch companies are already doing great business in Pakistan for many decades and have nurtured an impeccable reputation across industries.

He mentioned that Netherlands is a country of 17 million people; but, it produces food for 70 million people.

He added that Netherlands have enormous opportunities in Pakistan to invest in poultry, dairy, animal feed, and modern agriculture, food processing and industrial collaborations.

He acknowledged that Netherlands is the powerhouse of food production in the world.

Wouter Plomp, Ambassador of Netherlands in Pakistan, said that he is delighted to see the interest of Pakistani business community in doing business with their counterparts in Netherlands; and, he is well aware of the visa processing issues. He apprised that visa issues will be resolved by summer this year or the end of summer.

Suleman Chawla, Senior Vice President of FPCCI, said Pakistan enjoys a trade surplus with Netherlands and there is still scope for exporting more value-added textiles; cost-competitive IT services; world-class sports goods; standardized surgical instruments and skilled labour as well.

Shabbir Hassan Mansha, VP FPCCI, said the Pakistan can rely more on cheese, dairy, formula milk and processed food products from Netherlands to tackle food shortages in Pakistan and ensure country’s food security.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022