KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysia has expressed its willingness to import rice and
cattle from Pakistan and Malaysian delegation comprising official and
private officials would visit Pakistan in December for the import of
mango and other fruits.
The willingness was shown by Malaysian
Agricultural Minister Haji Nooh Bin-e-Omar during meeting with visiting
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday.
Both the
leaders during their meeting discussed in detail agriculture and
agricultural industries, livestock and on the promotion of Halal food
industry.
Malaysian Minister said Malaysian delegation would
visit Pakistan soon and would hold meetings with Pakistani
counterparts, while he would visit Pakistan next December and
agreement-promoting cooperation in agriculture and livestock fields
would be signed.
During the meeting, Qureshi said Pakistan
produces high quality basmati rice in enough quantity, which is popular
throughout the world due to its good taste and smell, while it has vast
reservoirs of the rice for exporting it to Malaysia and there is no
hurdle to disconnect its transportation.
Qureshi said Halal
meat is being used in enough quantity and we have the international
standard system for its processing and packing, through which severe
scarcity of meat could be ended in Malaysian markets by providing
freeze beef and mutton, while it can also import mango and other fruits
of international standard.
He said Pakistan is the biggest
country in the world of producing milk and its products, which neither
could fulfill needs of Malaysian but could also improve Pak-Malaysian
cooperation in this field regarding promotion of modern technology.
Pakistan
can provide technical help to Malaysian in the field of cattle
production and in the field of anti-cattle diseases, so that could
increase the number livestock in Malaysia, adding, Pakistan can also
export cows of Sahiwal breed and buffalos of Neeli Ravi breed.
Qureshi
during the meeting invited the Malaysian Minster to visit Pakistan in
December to promote Pakistan-Malaysian cooperation in food, agriculture
and livestock and said Pakistan wanted to send technical manpower to
Malaysia, so that could play role in the development of Malaysia.
He
said Pakistan wants to avail the experiments of Malaysia and other
countries in packing, processing and marketing fields for increase in
trade volume and development and emphasized on the setting up of joint
working group for increase in import and export of rice, beef, mutton,
mango, milk and its products and promotion of cooperation in other
fields and the working group should include representatives of
government and private sectors of the two countries.
The
Malaysian Minister welcomed the proposals of Shah Mehmood Qureshi and
expressed his full willingness to them, saying, his countries takes
interest in importing rice and cattle, so that could meet the country
requirements effectively.
He said the Malaysian delegation
during its visit in December would hold meetings with their Pakistani
counterparts for the import of mango and other fruits, milk and its
products.
Accepting the invitation of Pakistan visit, the
Malaysian Minister thanked Shah Mehmood Qureshi and expressed the hope
that during his visit to Pakistan agreement promoting
Pakistan-Malaysian cooperation in food, agriculture and livestock would
be signed.
