Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD
The post-coronavirus world offers tremendous economic opportunities and the global market is likely to experience a huge demand in the coming days.
Under these promising circumstances, Pakistan can earn billions through its exports by meeting international standards/certification criteria on its products in livestock, agriculture, IT & Telecom, etc and also by providing the foreign companies and investors an easy-to-do, transparent and hassle-free business environment.
These views were expressed by the outgoing Ambassador of Denmark Rolf Holmboe during an exclusive interview with Lead Pakistan.
The Danish envoy commended Pakistan’s smart lockdown strategy. “Pakistan needs an export boom and the way Pakistan has handled novel coronavirus with is amazing and as soon as the virus threat is over, (already it has declined substantially), trade and investment activities will accelerate and Pakistan will be in a position to take maximum advantage of that high demand,” said the ambassador.
Bilateral trade picking up
About Denmark-Pakistan bilateral trade, he said it had increased over 40% over the last years, most of it Pakistani exports to Denmark, “but we should aim at such a growth rate every year in the best case.”
In the existing bilateral trade, Pakistan’s share is around 60%. Among the country’s main exports to Denmark include sports items (FIFA certified footballs), textile and garments, fruits (mangoes, kinnow, etc) and ship construction. On the other hand, Denmark exports food products, advanced electrical apparatuses, design, pharmaceuticals, machinery for production plants such as cement and food & agri production, to Pakistan.
Cumbersome import regime
However, the Danish envoy emphasized that Pakistan needed to innovate in the IT & Software sector and focus on their exports instead of clinging to traditional food and textile items.
To a question why the Danish companies were not investing in Pakistan or they were reluctant to invest here, he said their major concern was ease of doing business.
Here unfortunately, the import regime is quite cumbersome and you never know at the end of the day what exact amount you have to pay in duties or how fast products can be imported or exported.
In such an uncertain situation, one can’t expect investors and companies to invest huge capital.
Danish companies in Pakistan
Denmark very much likes to expand its bilateral trade with Pakistan and already there are three Danish companies, Ciklum, TEO and SwipeBox that have set up software development centres here, said the envoy. This investment has been made by Danish businessmen of Pakistan origin, he further informed.
Pakistan needed to export ‘brain products’ that are in high demand in the entire Europe.
Collaboration in energy sector
About collaboration in the energy sector, Ambassador Rolf Holmboe said Denmark is a world leader in wind energy and a global leading wind turbine producer like “Vestas” is keen to engage in Pakistan after the final approval of the new Alternative and Renewable Energy Policy by the Government.
Pakistan too is moving towards electric vehicle regime, and new opportunities will arise in the next years with regard to electrical and fuel cell-driven vehicles which is quite a healthy sign.
On the Pakistani community’s role and contribution to the Danish society, the Ambassador said Denmark highly valued their role. There are a high number of Danes of the Pakistani origin working in diverse areas, as Members of Parliament (MPs) in Denmark, at least three top-rated journalists, a large number of doctors, businessmen, educationists all with roots in Pakistan.
Around 40,00 to 50,000 Danes of Pakistani origin and Pakistanis live in Denmark, he said and with a few exceptions all of them are contributing to Denmark’s economy and society in one way or the other.
On the whole, Pakistanis are great people and their contributions are very positive, he said.
Tourism
About prospects of tourism in Pakistan and if there was any chance Danish tourists head towards Pakistan’s northern region and other historical places, Ambassador Rolf Holmboe said individual tourists can be attracted to Pakistan but ‘bulk tourism’ is not probable unless you provide them with the required touristic infrastructure. Pakistan, he said, should learn from Egypt regarding promotion of tourism in the country.
Ambassador Holmboe has completed his three years diplomatic term in Pakistan and is now leaving for his next assignment in Mali, Africa.
In Pakistan, he spent time (besides promoting bilateral trade and strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries) in making friendship with local Pakistanis, developing taste for food (Chicken Biryani, Nihari and Hyderabadi Karahi are his favourites) and visiting various towns and places of the country.
