ISLAMABAD, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 20th Aug, 2026) Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Establishment Division Senator Ahad Cheema chaired a meeting here Thursday to review significant progress and emerging opportunities for expanding Pakistan’s agricultural and food products trade with Saudi Arabia, with a particular focus on boosting exports, strengthening bilateral market linkages and creating new avenues for investment and private-sector partnerships.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar; Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul, Secretary National Food Security and Research, Amer Ali Ahmad; Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Sohail Ashraf, officials of the Foreign Office and representatives of other concerned departments attended the meeting.
During the meeting, officials briefed the participants on the progress of initiatives aimed at expanding bilateral trade in agricultural and food products and highlighted opportunities for further cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in the agriculture and food sectors.
Cheema said the upcoming visit of Saudi Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley to Pakistan would be significant in further strengthening bilateral cooperation in agriculture and food trade and exploring new avenues for investment and joint ventures.
He added that government wanted to significantly expand its exports of agricultural and food products to Saudi Arabia by leveraging the country’s vast agricultural potential, strengthening value chains and facilitating greater private-sector engagement.
The meeting was informed that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had identified four key areas for cooperation in the food sector, including meat, rice, processed food and animal fodder.
The Saudi delegation is also expected to hold meetings with provincial agriculture ministers to explore further avenues of collaboration and strengthen coordination between the two countries.
The Saudi delegation is scheduled to visit the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), where it will be briefed on Pakistan’s agricultural research, innovation and development initiatives. The delegation will also meet representatives of leading Pakistani agricultural business groups to explore opportunities for trade, investment and joint ventures.
Officials further informed the meeting that several Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed during the visit, particularly in areas related to food research and the establishment of a Pakistan-Saudi Agri Investment Fund, among other initiatives aimed at promoting investment and cooperation in the agriculture sector.
Ahad Cheema highlighted that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is particularly keen to deepen economic and agricultural cooperation with Saudi Arabia and translate the longstanding brotherly relations between the two countries into stronger trade, investment and mutually beneficial economic partnerships.
The Minister directed all relevant departments to ensure close coordination and develop concrete, commercially viable proposals aimed at enhancing Pakistan’s agricultural and food exports to Saudi Arabia.
He expressed the hope that the upcoming visit would provide fresh momentum to bilateral economic relations and result in tangible progress in agricultural trade, investment, research and joint ventures between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
