KARACHI, Pakistan: The bilateral trade and education relationship between Pakistan and Australia witnessed further boost in 2017 as both the Countries were enjoying continued increase in gross domestic product (GDP), the Australian High Commissioner in Islamabad Leonie Muldoon said.
While speaking at the annual dinner of Pakistan Australia Business Forum in Karachi on Thursday night, the High Commissioner elaborated that the bilateral trade enjoyed its fourth successive year of growth and we saw exports from Australia to Pakistan grew to almost Australian dollars 1,700 million in two way goods and services trade that was a milestone in maturing economic partnership between the two Countries.
Leonie Muldoon said that Australia- Pakistan Joint Trade Committee meeting would be held soon that would be a positive step at an official level in strengthening the mutual understanding. She said that at the meeting, we would look at many aspects of the bi-lateral relationship and some next step opportunities for both the countries.
“I feel there are opportunities specifically in education, food, beverage and franchising agri-business and agri-science (dairy, feedlot and commodities),” she said.
The Australian envoy noted that both the Countries were moving closer in people-to-people relations. She said that last year, 15,800 Pakistani students chose to study in Australia which was one of top three destination choices for Pakistani under-graduate and post-graduate students.
The High Commissioner said that in 2017, Australian companies demonstrated strong commitment to adding value in Pakistan through downstream dairy processing and product development for export, leveraging strength of Australia as the world’s third largest dairy exporter to support Pakistan build its dairy production through dairy cattle exports, and consulting around better feed, farm management practices, fodder and proven quality genetics.
During the current year, cotton season in Pakistan was enhanced by an Australian training initiative designed over the time to support up-skilling 225,000 Pakistani cotton farmers for making domestic production more competitive in the European markets, she said.
In 2017, she added, Australia began to extend the work already engaged in, with Pakistan in dairy and cotton to feedlots, animal fattening (goat, sheep and beef) and meat supply chain services.
Leonie Muldoon said that use of modern technology and expertise from Australia was assisting Pakistan to increase the volume and value of meat production for local and export demand across designing, breeding, feeding, traceability, finishing and processing of meat. She said that next year, 10 Pakistan feedlot farmers visiting Australia for training.
The envoy further said that Pakistan’s focus on energy including renewables and mining as priority sectors opened up additional areas for collaboration. She said that Pakistan’s focus on developing more sophisticated mining operations through projects such as Thar coal, and the development of hydropower Infrastructure might invite Australia’s decades of experience and modern technology. She advised that Pakistan need to make a quantum leap forward in productivity and safety standards.
The High Commissioner said that the Australian Trade and Investment Commission was keen to work with Pakistani firms to grow your businesses with Australia.
In addition, she said that next year, more positive steps would be taken to support the two business communities getting to know each other better and continuing to work to explore sectors where Australia and Pakistan could do more together commercially.
