ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood on Thursday highlighted the importance of enhancing Pakistan-Brazil bilateral cooperation to exploit the existing potential of bioenergy (Ethanol) and to enhance value addition in the agriculture field.
He was addressing a technical seminar on “Sustainable Mobility: Ethanol Talks-Pakistan”, jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Apex-Brazil.
The objective of the seminar was to promote ethanol as a modern and sustainable option for mobility.
Dawood said Brazil was the largest sugarcane and second-largest ethanol producer in the world, whereas Pakistan was also having huge production in those agriculture commodities.
Pakistan could utilise Brazilian experience and technology for the benefit to the country’s economy, he added.
“We need to learn from Brazilian experience and take benefit of their technology in ethanol sector for the long-term benefit,” Dawood said, adding that the government was taking measures to facilitate sugarcane and ethanol sector of the country.
He said Pakistan had huge sugarcane farming sector, hence it had no choice but to invest in the agriculture sector and ensure best possible processing of the agricultural produce to boost exports.
The minister said the technology could help the country produce better fuel in the form of ethanol, highlighting the need to sensitize people about the benefits of this kind of fuel, which could also be used in the pharmaceutical sector.
He was of the view that the country’s exports could be enhanced manifold through the value-addition of agriculture products that would support in improving the balance of payment situation, enhance energy resources and in addition reduce environmental pollution.
The adviser informed that this was the first conference in Pakistan on this particular topic and expressed hope that it would come up with workable suggestions to promote this sector.
Talking about the balance of trade situation, he said although Pakistan was facing a trade deficit, there was now a considerable improvement in the country’s exports.
He said in dollar terms, the exports from Pakistan, on a year-on-year basis, had increased by 13.6pc, which showed that the economy was now moving in the right direction.
The seminar was told that Brazil is the second-largest ethanol producer in the world, producing 33.1 billion litres, out of which 30.8 is consumed domestically whereas 1.8 billion litres are exported, hence earning huge foreign exchange reserves for the country.
