Brazil to promote trade with Pakistan

Brazil’s embassy working on making visa applications easier for Pakistanis .

KARACHI:

Agriculture and livestock have been termed as the lifeblood of the economy by High Ambassador of Brazil Alfredo Leoni on Thursday.

On his visit the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to promote commercial ties between the two countries, Leoni said using agricultural produce to create biodiesel in Brazil did not heighten food prices.

Brazil is self-sufficient and a major producer of bio-fuel, particularly ethanol. Leoni said that Brazil was the largest commercial partner of Pakistan and the trade balance between the two countries was $400 million, but there is room for improvement.

Leoni said the Brazilian embassy would help Pakistanis carry out business in Brazil, and informed that the government was working on simplifying the visa application process. “Brazil has a 100 per cent positive agenda with Pakistan, when a visa application comes to the embassy,” he said.

Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) Projects Director Mehboobul Haq outlined a number of opportunities in agriculture, including dates and red chilli processing – projects whose profitability could be increased with the help of better mechanisms.

As a part of SBI’s, master plan, Haq revealed that they were planning to start an education city outside of Karachi, and had already allotted land to these educational institutes.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th,  2011.