ISLAMABAD: Fifteen Pakistani companies will participate in the three-day Foodex 2019 Exhibition in Jeddah, announced Pakistan’s Deputy Consul General, Shaiq Ahmed Bhutto, speaking at the exhibition’s inaugural session on Monday.
“The number of participants is a sizeable increase from last year’s event which saw nine Pakistani companies on board,” the official was quoted in a press statement released by Pakistan consulate in Jeddah Monday night.
Bilateral and trade ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have seen a gradual improvement in the past few years, the statement added.
“The demand for food items in the Kingdom offers a huge opportunity for Pakistani companies to increase their space in the Saudi market and enhance their market share through aggressive marketing,” excerpts from the statement read, adding that the Pakistani participants are some of the top exporters from the country dealing in rice, spices, sauces, processed food, and ready to cook meals, to name a few.
The statement added that since Pakistan is an agricultural country, more than 70 percent of its exports are agro and textile-based, providing enormous potential for it to increase the share of its exports, and tap into the halal food market in Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia currently imports more than 80 percent of its total food and beverages requirement,” the statement said.
The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Pakistan, is one of the participants at the event.
The Pakistani consulate said that it is extending full cooperation to the companies for match-making of their products in order to promote trade and investment.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy deep rooted economic ties, a relationship that was cemented further following Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan in February this year.
The two countries have lately expanded the scope of bilateral relations from strategic to economic, cultural and media cooperation.
Both the countries signed several agreements during the crown prince’s visit to Islamabad, with the Kingdom pledging to invest $20 billion in Pakistan in order to boost its depleting foreign exchange reserves.