France to help promote Pak agriculture

Friday, November 27, 2009
SIALKOT: French Ambassador to Pakistan Daniel Jouanneau has said his country will assist and extend all possible support for the promotion of Pakistan’s agriculture sector on modern lines.

Addressing the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Thursday, he said France and Pakistan had highly cordial bilateral relations and France wanted to help rehabilitate families dislocated by the war on terrorism in Pakistan.

“France wants to develop long-term partnership with Pakistan in all sectors for sustainable results. The business community of France will be motivated for joint ventures in Pakistan, which would help enhance opportunities of bilateral trade between the two countries,” he added.

The French ambassador said a meeting of the Committee on Trade on the European Union (EU) would be held in February in Pakistan, which would review possibilities of access of Pakistani products to the European Union. In his welcome address, SCCI President Muhammad Ishaq Butt said there was vast scope for joint ventures and business cooperation between Pakistan and French companies, especially Sialkot-based companies, in sports goods, surgical instruments, leather products and information technology.

The SCCI president stressed on the need for greater access of products in to the French market, which would help promote further exports from Sialkot to France. “France has provided 2.3 million euros for the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) with additional 10 million euros worth of foodstuff, while it has also announced 300 million euros during the next three years (2009-2011) for the socioeconomic development in Pakistan,” he added.

The SCCI president said during 2008 the volume of trade between Pakistan and France reached the figure of 800 million euros and 35 French companies were working in Pakistan.

“Total direct foreign investment by French companies remains low, but major French multinationals have set up subsidiaries in Pakistan, providing jobs to 10,000 people,” he added.