FCEPL, ITC ink LOI for rural project

KARACHI: The Friesland Campina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with International Trade Centre (ITC) for Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) in Karachi.

GRASP is a European Union-funded project implemented by ITC with its partners in 12 districts of Sindh and 10 districts of Balochistan. Primarily 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.

At the signing ceremony, Ali Ahmed Khan, Vice President, Middle East, North Africa & Pakistan, Friesl and Campina believed that by enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs, greater economic growth and opportunity can be foster in Pakistan. “We 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", he added.

Robert Skidmore, Chief of Sector and Enterprise Competitiveness, ITC, highlighted the important role of the private sector in promoting the SMEs “for the larger purpose of alleviating poverty and achieving sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth as established in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Complementing each other’s 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’s 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.

The 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.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023