President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul witnessed the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understandings (MoUs) at the Aiwan-i-Sadr on Wednesday as representatives of respective organisations inked the accords.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Dr Hafeez Sheikh signed the MoU on planning which seeks to strengthen mutual cooperation by means of exchange of information, research and planning studies and institutional capacity building. Both the countries agreed to benefit to the extent possible from expertise of each other in national and regional planning, strategic planning, economic models and activities, international and inter-regional cooperation, preparation and evaluation of development plans and their annual programmes, sustainable and e-government.
The MoU on agriculture, signed by Minister for Agriculture Nazar Mohammad Gondal and Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Mehmet Mehdi Eker from the Turkish side, seeks to strengthen cooperation in the field of agro-based industry on the basis of mutual benefit and to achieve higher levels of efficiency in production, processing and marketing of agro-based industry components.
The agreement also seeks to promote and encourage private sectors of the two countries to establish sole propriety enterprises, as well as joint ventures, including industrial units in export processing zones outside urban areas, other agreed locations and in rural areas at existing clusters in Pakistan and encourage investment in areas, such as fruits, food processing, vegetables and flower products processing units, corporate livestock farming, dairy industry, poultry farming and production, cold storage facilities and commercial production of seeds and nurseries commercial production of flowers, spices and medicinal herbs.
The accord on commercial cooperation was signed between the Board of Investment and Turkish Investment Support and Promotion Agency. The Pakistani side was represented by BoI chairman Saleem H. Mandviwala, and the Turkish side was led by Buyukelci Engin Soysal, Mustesar Yardimeisi. Under the MoU, the Board of Investment and Turkish Investment Support and Promotion Agency agreed to collaborate in promotion of productive and commercial cooperation, support of enterprises in implementing common projects and transfer of know-how.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and Turkey constituted a joint working group to explore and enhance cooperation in agriculture between the two countries.
The formation of working group was decided in a meeting between Nazar Mohammad Gondal and his Turkish counterpart, Mehmet Mehdi Eker in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The areas identified for Turkish assistance include setting up of olive oil units, investment by Turkish seed companies, establishment of modern cool chain infrastructure, grain storage and food processing industry.
“There are tremendous possibilities of increased collaboration between the investors of the two brotherly countries, and development of Pakistan’s agribusiness and value-addition sector with Turkish technical and financial resources.
Pakistan offers tremendous opportunities to Turkish businessmen to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture production, processing and value addition, said the minister.
Mr Gondal said Pakistan would like to benefit from expertise of Turkey in developing high efficiency irrigation system through technology transfer from Turkey.
He added that Pakistan has developed integrated pest management models for various crops like sugarcane, rice, cotton, guava, citrus, mango, etc., and would share these with Turkey.
The Turkish Minister said Pakistan has a great potential in agriculture and his country is ready to help and assist in all possible ways.
“We would like to take this opportunity for enhancement of trade and take concrete steps for increasing collaboration between the two brotherly countries,” the minister said.
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