Sheikh Ahsan Rasheed, Director, Board of Investment, Punjab and CEO, Hafeez Ghee & General Mills, Shama Banaspati & Cooking Oil, said that the Virtual Investment Conference of South Punjab will play a key role in development of region. He specially thanked USAID and the government for paying attention to South Punjab. He further said that Prime Minister Imran Khan did not visit Multan even once after assuming power. Using the USAID platform, he also invited Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chairman Punjab Board of Investment and Trade Sardar Ilyas Tanveer to visit Multan.He was addressing at the concluding session of the three-day Virtual Investment conference which discussed investments opportunities and challenges in the agriculture / livestock, tourism, textile and energy sectors. The conference also discussed the challenges in the development of the private sector in South Punjab, especially the difficulties in accessing the market due to the Corona pandemic.
Sheikh Ahsan Rasheed said that great results could be achieved if the government continued to involve the private sector in policy making. The fate of South Punjab can be changed if investment is made in the areas discussed in the conference.
Sheikh Ahsan Rashid also gave a detailed presentation on agriculture and livestock. He said that unfortunately,inspite of elapsing seven decades ,we do not have any system of corporate agriculture due to which the country's agricultural production is declining continuously alarmingly. He also gave a comparative analysis of the production of cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane and other crops in South Punjab. He demanded that the government give a package to the agricultural sector like construction industry.
Sheikh Ahsan Rashid added that more than 60% of Pakistan's livestock is in South Punjab. South Punjab has a lot of potential for investment in the livestock sector. By investing in the livestock sector in South Punjab, Pakistan can become an exporter of halal meat and other dairy products. Private sector has golden opportunities to invest in Livestock, Agriculture, Cold Storage, Research and Development and other sectors in South Punjab. More industrial estates should be developed in South Punjab for bringing industrial revolution, Rasheed added.
The three days South Punjab Virtual Investment Conference was jointly organised by USAID, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) and Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) concluded here on Thursday after identifying opportunities and challenges for commercial and social investment in South Punjab. Kanwal Bukhari on behalf of USAID hosted the virtual conference for all three days
Addressing the session, Punjab Livestock Minister Sardar Hasnain Bahadur Dreshak said that holding of an investment conference in South Punjab is a milestone of future progress, prosperity and development. A joint venture between the government and the private sector is very important to make this plan a success. He added that the government does not currently have a clear policy for livestock at the provincial and federal levels. We are working on a joint livestock policy in collaboration with USAID. In the next budget, a comprehensive policy of livestock will be introduced. The provincial minister further said that Pakistan can become a major exporter of halal meat by adopting a feasible and far reaching livestock policy. He thanked the organizers for holding the investment conference.
Sardar Ilyas Tanveer Khan, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Punjab and Chairman, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade, said that Pakistan stood at 28th place in the World Bank's" Ease of Doing Business" ranking index and we should make joint efforts to achieve the objective by the making sincere efforts. He added that the first phase of CPEC has been successfully completed. In the second phase of CPEC, development in industry and agriculture and partnership with business circles is underway. All three corridors of CPEC connect southern Punjab with the port of Gawadar.
Sardar Tanveer added that in order to grow the economy through industry, it is necessary for us to export manufactured goods instead of raw materials. The government is committed to providing all facilities to take the Made in Pakistan brand worldwide. Chairman PBIT said that there is a need to promote agro-based, human and mineral resource-friendly industries in South Punjab. He extended special thanks to the organizers, Council General US Lahore and Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry for organizing the South Punjab Investment Conference.
Khawaja Salahuddin, President, Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), thanked the conference participants, the US Government, USAID and Sheikh Ahsan Rashid for organizing the conference and for paying special attention to the development of South Punjab. He said that investment conference would create a new chapter of development for South Punjab, President MCCI added. Kamran Maqsood from Multan Chamber gave a detailed briefing on the potential of Fisheries in South Punjab.It was informed in the closing ceremony that the inaugural function for the South Punjab office of the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade in Multan would be held on February 11 at Bahauddin Zakariya University.
In the concluding session, Asim Saeed ex-Vice Chairman of PCGA presented suggestions regarding implementation of seed development and crop zoning. Vice Chancellor of MNS Agricultural University Dr. Asif Ali briefed the participants on the government's position. Deputy Director Agriculture South Punjab Barakullah Khan briefed about the investment opportunities in the agricultural sector. Representatives from USAID and the US Government briefed the session on detailed opportunities and investments. At the end of the session, Sidra A. Sheikh from MCCI thanked the participants.