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Palm Oil

week

from 30th

ISLAMABAD: A three-day Malaysian Palm Oil Week organized by the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council with the cooperation of the High Commission of Malaysia will be held here from August 30 to September 1, Rastam Muhammad Isa, High Commissioner for Malaysia in Pakistan said here on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, he said that this would be the second International Palm Oil Week to be held in Pakistan, the first was held in Lahore last May and another similar event was held in Singagpore earlier his year, he added.

The Malaysian High Commissioner said that Pakistan for many years have been importing significant quantities of Malaysian palm oil to supplement domestic production of oil and fat. For 1994, Pakistan was the second-largest importer after China, importing over 1.1 million tones. Malaysia remains committed to supplying high quality palm oil to Pakistan to fulfil her requirements for oil and fats. "We are also ready to work with Pakistan to explore and develop the emerging market in other countries, in particular the Central Asian Countries," he added.

Rastam Muhammad Isa said that Pakistan is a very important market for Malaysian palm oil. The Malaysian producers and exporters fully appreciate the import and consumption of the significant quantity of palm oil in Pakistan. It is, therefore, felt that efforts should be continued to create awareness about the nutritional and functional attributes of palm oil among the public in Pakistan. This Palm Oil Week also signifies "our appreciation for the trust and the confidence in Malaysian palm shown by the Pakistani importers and consumers," he added.

He said that "we are organizing the following programme in connection with the observance of the Malaysian Palm Oil Week:

Seminar on Trade of Oil and Fats, and Food and Non-food Application of Palm Oil.

Seminar on Food Applications, Nutritional Attributes and Current Developments of palm oil.

Seminar on-Palm Oil as Preferred Cooking Medium'.

Seminar on-Operations of the Kuala Lumpur Commodity Exchange (KLCE).

Invitation Gold Tournament to coincide with Malaysian national Day.

Cooking and drawing competition and a quiz programme.

We are also organizing cooking demonstrations every day (11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.). There will be also an exhibition on palm oil every day from 10.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Most of the activities will be held in Hotel Marriott in Islamabad.

The Malaysian High Commissioner said that "we are pleased to announce that several companies in Malaysia and Pakistan have agreed to donate palm oil-based products to an orphanage located around Islamabad." The donation would be handed over by the wife of the Malaysian High Commissioner and the local representatives of food companies on September 1. There will be also a three-day Malaysian Food Festival at the hotel Marriott.-APP