The Portuguese charge de affairs has invited Pakistani entrepreneurs to start joint ventures with their counterparts in textile, food, rice, information technology, sports goods and agriculture. Joao Paulo Sabido visited the Lahore Chamber and met Senior Vice President Almas Hyder and Vice President Nasir Saeed on Friday.
The Pakistan Portugal Business Council president was also present. The diplomat said, "There is a huge scope for the expansion of the bilateral trade between Portugal and Pakistan. Pakistani entrepreneurs should focus on Portugal to exploit the untapped market potential for all the traditional and non-traditional products. Portugal is one of the largest users of yarn therefore Pakistan should avail this opportunity to the maximum. My country's generating most of energy through renewable energy. Pakistan could learn a lot from Portuguese expertise."
Senior Vice President Hyder said, "Pakistani businessmen are eager to develop close working relations with the Embassy of Portugal. Pakistan and Portugal enjoy good diplomatic relations. Portugal comes at the eighth place among the top exporting destinations and at the 12th place among the top importing member states of the European Union. "In 2012, the total worth of Pakistan's exports to Portugal was $109 million which increased to $155 million in 2013 and $167 million in 2014. There was almost the same trend noticed in imports from Portugal to Pakistan."