LAHORE: In a bid to attract foreign investors, the Punjab government has decided to vigorously participate in the Dubai Expo-2020 by showcasing the investment opportunities available in the province.

As many as 20 departments will participate in the Expo-2020 which couldn`t be organised last year due to the pandemic.

`Punjab`s 20 departments including Industry and Commerce, Energy, Agriculture, Communication and Works, Livestock and Dairy Development and Lahore Central Business District Authority will participate in the Expo at different times. Through this important event, the soft image of the country and investment opportunities in Punjab will be highlighted,` Punjab Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal said at a press conference on Saturday.

`We are also sending 25 talented youths registered as new startups to Dubai Expo. They will share their ideas with the experts at Dubai Expo`s Pakistan Pavilion,` he added.

Flanked by Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Information Hasaan Khawar, Industry and Commerce Secretary Dr Wasif Khurshid, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade CEO Dr Erfa Iqbal and DGPR Saman Rai, the minister said Chief Minister Usman Buzdar would inaugurate the special investor portal `Punjab ease` prepared by the PBIT at the Expo.

`We will also organise seminars, panel discussions, international business conference and otherevents atthe Expo. These events will be fruitful in bringing new investment in Punjab, he maintained.

He said full support was being provided to export-oriented SMEs underthe investor-friendly policies.

`The government has also succeeded in attracting investment of billions of rupees in the special economic zones and industrial estates of Punjab, he said, adding that Punjab is the first province planning to abolish NOCs for investments.

Answering a question, the minister said the rise in the prices of petroleum products around the world had also affected Pakistan.

The government benefitted the farmers by increasing the support price of wheat, he said.

The government was also launching the targeted subsidy programme for the benefit of the common man. `The price of a 20kg bag of flour in Punjab is Rs1,100 while in Sindh it is Rs1,600.

The price of sugar is decreasing in Punjab due to the arrival of imported sugar,` he said.