New Zealand urged to help develop dairy sector on modern lines

ISLAMABAD (APP) - Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Nazar Muhammad Gondal here on Monday urged upon the private sector of New Zealand to invest in the dairy sector.
He said there was a great potential for New Zealand and Pakistan to work together and benefit form each others potentials adding that New Zealand could help Pakistan in developing the dairy sector and value addition to milk and all other milk related products.
In a meeting with the New Zealand Ambassador to Pakistan, Brain Sanders who called on him, the federal minister asked for the investment of the private sector of New Zealand, particularly in milk processing and value addition.
According to press release, the minister urged upon the New Zealand government to facilitate the interaction of the private sectors of both the countries so that Pakistan could enhance its farming machinery on the modern lines. He said that Baluchistan produces a lot of sheep-wool, which needs New Zealands technology to be processed and refined.
He also urged upon the New Zealand government to offer scholarships to Pakistani students in specializing in agriculture so that the countrys agriculture could be put on the modern lines.
He said that technical and scientific assistance from that country could improve the agriculture practices in Pakistan.
We would like the agriculture research centers and universities of both the countries to jointly work for the modernization and mechanization of the farming sector in Pakistan, he said adding that New Zealand was an excellent example of a modern agriculture country and could guide in the value addition of agricultural products.
The minister said that a MoU was already drafted that identifies the areas where both the countries could cooperate.
The visiting diplomat said that his country wants to specially focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan and help these countries.
New Zealand, he said, is a small country with a population of 4.4 millions only, adding that his countrys specialty includes value addition to the dairy products and wool processing.