LAHORE (APP) - Australian High Commissioner Timothy Spencer George said his country would invest in coal-based energy projects in Punjab. This is with a view to help Pakistan to overcome its ongoing energy crisis, he said while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday. LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, Senior Vice President Ijaz A. Mumtaz, Vice President Faisal Iqbal Sheikh, Honorary Consulate of Australia Saleem Ghori, LCCI former Senior Vice Presidents Abdul Basit, Sohail Lashari, Tahir Javed Malik, former Vice President Shafqat Saeed Piracha, Executive Committee Members Ibrahim Qureshi, Imran Daud, Sohail Shamshair Ali, Mian Tariq Misbah-ur-Rehman, Mian Zahid Javed and Dr. Shahid Shahid Raza also spoke. The Australian High Commissioner said his country was ready to extend every possible help to Pakistan in agriculture, food, dairy, livestock and energy sectors. He said Australia would offer scholarships to 100 Pakistani students of agriculture so that they could benefit from the experiences of Australia. He said Australia had modern technology in food processing, preservation packaging and storage. He said the exchange of trade delegations was a necessary tool to promote mutual trade. LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry said that Pakistan and Australia had been steady trading partners for many years. He said that since 1948 both countries had been working together to explore avenues to expand trade and investment, particularly through agribusiness and agricultural science linkages. He said the bilateral trade and investment, though gradually increasing, was currently modest. He said total two-way trade in 2007 was $ 578 million that went up to 659 million Australian dollars in 2008. He said Australias exports to Pakistan averaged $ 478 million and imports from Pakistan had been less than 200 million dollars. Hence, the trade balance has been in Austrias favour, he added.