ISLAMABAD
\nFrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with International Trade Centre (ITC) for Growth for Rural Advancement & Sustainable Progress (GRASP) in Karachi.
\nGrowth for Rural Advancement & Sustainable Progress (GRASP) is a European Union-funded project implemented by ITC with its partners, in 12 districts of Sindh and 10 districts of Balochistan.
\nPrimarily focused on poverty alleviation and gender mainstreaming, the initiative aims to improve the productivity and profitability of pre-selected value chains in horticulture and livestock sectors by refining the small and medium enterprises (SME) competitiveness in domestic commerce.
\nFrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan (FCEPL) is one of the largest dairy conglomerates in Pakistan, catering to local needs by providing nutritious and quality dairy products.
\nThe company has always been a strong supporter of women empowerment and sustainable growth for dairy farmers.
\nAt the signing ceremony, Ali Ahmed Khan, Vice President, Middle East, North Africa & Pakistan, FrieslandCampina stated, \u201cOur commitment to improving the productivity and profitability of value chains in the livestock sectors reflects our vision to create a sustainable and equitable future for all.
\nWe believe that by enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs, we can foster greater economic growth and opportunity in Pakistan.
\nWe look forward to working with our partners to drive lasting change and sustainable progress in the rural areas of Sindh and Balochistan, and pave the way for a brighter, more prosperous future for Pakistan.\u201d
\nRobert Skidmore, Chief of Sector and Enterprise Competitiveness, ITC, further highlighted the important role of the private sector in promoting the SMEs \u201cfor the larger purpose of alleviating poverty and achieving sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth as established in the United Nations\u2019 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.\u201d
\nAlso in attendance, Syed Saud Ahmed Pasha, Director Corporate Affairs, FCEPL, further established the importance of collaborative efforts to uplift the country\u2019s economy. \u201cIt is imperative to develop joint initiatives to promote inclusive development through trade by a setup through which rural SMEs have equitable access to markets, finance, and business support systems.\u201d
\nThe signing with ITC was followed by the discussions between the signatories regarding technical aspects for the project.
\nComplementing each other\u2019s activities, FCEPL will provide support to GRASP initiatives pertaining to policy reforms, business development, and market linkages in the dairy sector through the inclusion of GRASP-supported SMEs. In return, ITC will include FCEPL\u2019s network farmers (which will potentially extend to 20,000 FCEPL trained female agripreneurs) for technical training and capacity building around agri-business management and marketing, climate smart agriculture, quality, food safety, matching grants and financial literacy to dairy farmers.
\nThe parties have also committed to further dairy sector support in terms of UNSDGs such as poverty reduction, zero hunger, nutrition, food safety & security, women empowerment, public-private partnerships, policy and regulatory inputs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with International Trade Centre (ITC) for Growth for Rural Advancement & Sustainable Progress (GRASP) in Karachi. Growth for Rural Advancement & Sustainable Progress (GRASP) is a European Union-funded project implemented by ITC with its partners, in 12 districts of Sindh and 10 districts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-315013","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n