Pakistan
is willing to provide land to Malaysian investors to set up cattle
farms to ensure regular supply of Halal meat, Pakistan’s High
Commissioner in Malaysia Lt Gen (Retd) Tahir Mahmud Qazi has said.
In
an interview with Bernama News Agency of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, the
High Commissioner said that Pakistan can also provide qualified
veterinary doctors and abundant farm workers for developing livestock,
poultry and fisheries sectors. He said that Pakistan with its vast
expertise and experience in agriculture sector can assist Malaysia in
developing Halal food hub.
Tahir
Qazi said both countries were already cooperating in manufacturing
fertilizers and animal feed and are in the process of setting up a seed
bank. This would also be the focus of the upcoming D8 Ministers
Conference on Food Security beginning in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday
wherein besides Pakistan and Malaysia, other member countries of the
Group of D-8 Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria and Bangladesh
will be attending, he added.
The
High Commissioner said Pakistan and Malaysia were enjoying excellent
relations in trade, economic, social and other fields, which is can
also be gauged from the fact that bilateral trade was growing fast,
especially in the past two years, with two-way trade surging from
US$834 million (RM3.048 billion) in 2006 to almost US$1.8 billion
(RM6.5 billion) last year. He said that 14 Malaysian companies were
actively engaged in the development of infrastructures, housing, roads,
energy and solid waste management in Pakistan besides frequent exchange
of delegations between both countries.
Acknowledging
the role of Malaysia in promoting the D-8 agenda the High Commissioner
said Pakistan appreciated Malaysia’s role in D8 and would give its full
cooperation in achieving the objectives of the grouping, which was to
improve the member country’s economy and ultimately the living
standards of its people.