Hyderabad—The Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) in collaboration with Government of Sindh organized a seminar here on Thursday aimed at highlighting the aims and objectives of the $30 million Sindh Development Fund (SDF). According to a press release issued here, the SDF’s key aim is to transform the agriculture sector in the province.

The programme is funded by Government of Sindh and managed by CSF which is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), established to reposition Pakistan’s economy on a more global competitive footing.

The seminar was attended by Sindh Government’s officials, local businessmen and growers, regional banking heads, members of different business associations and officials of the SDF’s Steering Committee, including its Chairman Zubair Motiwala.

The fund focuses on agriculture and agriculture-based food business, including horticulture, meat, dairy and fisheries, in the province in order to maximize the competitive advantage of Sindh, to promote investment and create sustainable jobs in agriculture related sectors.

Mr. Mansoor Ali, Senior Project Manger of CSF, giving a detailed presentation on the aims of SDF said that in order to achieve its objectives SDF will work closely with financial institutions and assist the project under SDF through its Credit Assistance window.

“The idea is to reduce the interest rate in order to encourage investment in the agriculture sector,” he added. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mahmood Shah, a member of the SDF’s Steering Committee, said that high cost of doing business was hindering competitiveness in the province, adding that SDF would help reduce those costs.—APP