ISLAMABAD : Jesper Moller Sorensen, Danish Ambassador in Pakistan, has said that Pakistan and Denmark have good prospectus to work together in agriculture sector and promote trade and commerce relations between the two countries.  There is a lot of potential to enhance cooperation between the two countries, the Ambassador said during his visit to National Agriculture Research Center (NARC) Islamabad where he was given detailed briefing about workings and various projects of the center.
 “My aim is to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries and commercial sector can play an important role in this regard,” the Ambassador remarked. He said that Denmark has latest technology and has long history of agriculture farming, so it can help Pakistan in promoting agriculture sector of the country.
Denmark has long tradition and history of agriculture production and in earlier times about 60 to 70 percent its population was engaged with this sector, however, with the advancement of new technologies, the number has now reduced to just one percent. He said the agriculture products were the main exports of the country as 22% of country’s exports include food and diary products.  
He said links could be developed between the Danish companies and agriculture production sector of Pakistan to explore new avenues of cooperation in agriculture filed that would help Pakistan enhance its agriculture exports. He said that many Danish companies believe that there is vast potential in Pakistan’s agriculture sector.
He said he would talk to five or six Danish Companies and encourage them to come here and discuss with the PARC officials how cooperation in agriculture sector could be promoted for the economic benefit of both the countries. He said that the purpose of visiting NARC was to have knowledge what the center has been doing so that when he engages in dialogue with Danish companies, he might be in position to convince them to explore agriculture sector of Pakistan.
Earlier, the Danish Ambassador, who was accompanied by Advisor Finance, Danish Embassy, Samson Patras, was given detailed briefing by Acting Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Dr. Nadeem Amjad, Director General NARC, Dr. M. Azeem Khan and other group of senior scientists of PARC/NARC.
In their presentations, they apprised the ambassador that the goal of agriculture sector was to play its due role for realizing high growth strategy of the government to reduce poverty and ensure food security. They said that in many fields, the country had overcome shortage and is not only self-sufficient in production of various crops but was exporting commodities like wheat sugar and cotton. They however termed low technological inputs, unsustainable water management, poor infrastructure, low value addition, climate challenge and urbanization as a big challenge to agriculture sector.
The Ambassador was also briefed about PARC Agrotech Company Pvt. Limited (PATCO) that has enhanced its agro-business from just Rs.1.25 million in 2008-09 to Rs.58.69 million in currently. They said that successful operation of this company clearly indicates that agriculture business has promising future in this country.
They identified several areas where both the countries can cooperate including livestock, seed sector, organic farming and floriculture. They said that Danish companies were welcome to come here and explore potential of these sectors and draw future roadmap of cooperation.
Later the ambassador visited NARC’s Wheat-Wide Crosses Lab, Food Science and Product Development Lab, ABEI, Avian Influenza Lab and PGRI & its Exhibition stall and farm field experiments area.