Daily Times

LAHORE: Brazil’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Claudio Lins, said on Monday that Brazil covers more than 42 percent of its energy needs by renewable sources. He also added that his country was ready to share knowledge in this regard with Pakistan.

He remarked this while talking to the business community here at Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry. LCCI Senior Vice President, Almas Hyder, LCCI Vice President, Nasir Saeed, former LCCI President, Iftikhar Ali Malik, Brazil’s Honorary Consul, Mian Hassan Mansha and LCCI Executive Committee Members, which included Amjad Ali Jawa, Mian Abdul Razzaq, Tariq Mahmood, Waqar Ahmed Mian also spoke on the occasion.

The Ambassador also asserted that Brazil was ready to extend its cooperation to Pakistan in renewable energy sector. He said that his country had improved its per hector yield with the assistance of modern technology and double cropping, further adding that Brazil was also one of the largest exporters of poultry meat. “Pakistani businessmen could take benefit from Brazilian expertise in these sectors,” he added, further asserting that Brazil was the ninth biggest economy in the world with a GDP of $1.7 trillion and also the best venue for developing business and investment. He also noted that despite having various commonalities and good diplomatic relations, the trade volume between Brazil and Pakistan was still meagre. The mutual trade volume in 2015 was hardly $369 million, which did not match the potential existed in the two countries, added. Lins asserted, “Brazil is looking for new trade partners in Asia while Pakistan products are best and can easily make their way in the Brazilian market.” He also invited Pakistani businessmen to work in joint ventures with their Brazilian counterparts and also report all their reservations to the Brazilian Embassy in Pakistan regarding tariff.

LCCI Senior Vice President, Almas Hyder, said that the Brazil-Pakistan relations were characterised as friendly and cooperative, further adding that the balance of trade had traditionally been in favour of Brazil.

Although trade figures did not match the actual potential of trade, trade was still following an upward trend. From 2013 to 2015, the two-way trade had surged from $227 million to $316 million, he added. However, in contrast, the Pakistan exports were falling in terms of value, which had contracted from $87 million to $56 million. “We should work on ways to improve our trade and economic relations,” he said.

Hyder said that the private sector of Pakistan should also partake in exporting various types of consumer goods including ready-made garments, fabrics, knitwear, towels, leather and leather products, pharmaceutical, surgical instruments to Brazil.

He said that Brazil also offered a significant potential for the exports of high-quality footballs. The Ambassador also noted, “Everyone knows that the game of football is very close to the hearts of Brazilian people. We can also supply agro products including rice, pulses, fruits and vegetables etc. For this, we need to work closely with your office to find the right partners.”

He added, “Brazil has earned good repute in the field of hydroelectric technology and in expanding the commercial use of ethanol. We will certainly like to have the expertise of Brazilian experts who can share technical aspects and general information regarding the production of ethanol (bio-fuel) by sugarcane and its usage in cars and power generation.”

It would certainly assist Pakistan in reducing its dependence on petroleum products, he added. Former LCCI President, Iftikhar Ali Malik, also called for organising B2B meetings between the businessmen of the two countries. He added that tariff issues should be resolved to boost the mutual trade. He also said that Brazil could benefit from the cheap yet skilled human resources of Pakistan.Honorary Consul of Brazil, Mian Hassan Mansha, also highly lauded the trade and economic relations between the two countries, further saying that Pakistan’s geographical location was extremely important and could be very beneficial for the Brazilian investors.