KARACHI: Pakistani and Saudi investors are establishing a $5 million edible oil refinery in Saudi Arabia through a joint venture (JV), a senior Pakistani trade official said on Tuesday, following recent business-to-business interactions between the two countries.

The development comes weeks after a 50-member, high-level delegation, led by the Kingdom’s Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak, arrived in Pakistan to explore investment opportunities in the South Asian country.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been working closely in recent weeks to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to expedite an investment package of $5 billion.

“We are putting up an edible oil refinery in Saudi Arabia with the local partners. We have shared the feasibility with each other, and we will sign [an agreement] very soon,” Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), told Arab News on Tuesday. “There will be a joint venture.”

Ikram, who runs edible oil refineries and other businesses in Pakistan, informed that the project cost would be equally shared by investment partners, including himself.

“The project cost will be $5 million and we will share the cost together and this would be materialized within six months,” he said, adding the Saudi authorities were offering land and other facilities for the refinery. 

Saudi Arabia is currently consolidating its economy on modern lines under Vision 2030, a strategic development framework intended to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil. Under the framework, the Kingdom is also encouraging investment in diversified sectors to increase its export base.

“Their [Saudi authorities] condition is to maximize oil export up to 50 percent, while the rest you can sell in the local market,” Sheikh said.

The FPCCI chief said Saudi Arabia’s interest in Pakistan’s diversified sectors was “constantly increasing” and both sides had made tangible progress, including Saudi investment inflows in oil, agriculture and other sectors. 

In December last year, Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, signed an agreement to acquire a 40 percent equity stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan that followed the signing of an agreement in November 2023 by Shell Pakistan (SPL) with Saudi Arabia’s Wafi Energy to sell its domestic operations after Shell Petroleum Company announced its exit from Pakistan with the sale of 77 percent shareholding in the local business.

Pakistani traders also expect further inflow of investment from the Gulf countries.

The FPCCI president said Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a body consisting of Pakistani civilian and military leaders and specially tasked to promote foreign investment in Pakistan, is playing a crucial role in boosting investment in the South Asian country. 

The council, established in June last year, is focusing on investments in energy, agriculture, mining, information technology and aviation sectors, specifically targeting the Gulf nations.