ISLAMABAD, August 5: The Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MinFAL) to improve the competitiveness of the Pakistan’s agricultural and food sectors.

“The partnership between the two organizations is an important development for Pakistan’s agricultural and food sectors,” said Arthur Bayhan, CSF’s Chief Executive Officer. “It will help them compete globally by establishing and implementing principles of competitiveness.”

Signed by Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman, Federal Secretary for (MinFAL), and Mr. Bayhan, the MOU commits CSF to supporting MinFAL’s Task Force on Finance and Competitiveness in Horticulture. The task force will look at how to improve production, processing, marketing, infrastructure, financing and quality within the sector. Furthermore, CSF will provide technical assistance to develop a National Horticulture Policy and to increase the competitiveness of the nation’s fishing industry.

CSF, a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan, was established in 2006 to reposition Pakistan’s economy on a more competitive global footing. CSF supports Pakistan’s goal of being a more competitive economy by providing input into policy decisions, working to improve regulatory and administrative frameworks and enhancing public-private partnerships within the country.