Pakistan Envoy Meets US Soybean Council CEO, Discusses Expansion of Bilateral Trade and Investment

Chicago, August 8: Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Rizwan Saeed Sheikh met with Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) Jim Sutter on the sidelines of the U.S. Soy Connext Conference in Chicago.

During the meeting, Ambassador Sheikh expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in Pakistan-U.S. economic cooperation and the constructive engagement between the two countries in trade and investment.

He underscored the important role of agricultural trade in strengthening bilateral economic relations and noted that Pakistan has emerged, in a relatively short period, as one of the leading global destinations for U.S. soybeans, with annual imports exceeding one million metric tons.

The Ambassador said the growing soybean trade reflects Pakistan’s expanding domestic demand as well as the significant potential for mutually beneficial commercial partnerships between Pakistani and U.S. businesses.

Ambassador Sheikh highlighted opportunities to further strengthen cooperation across the soybean value chain through increased trade, stronger business-to-business linkages, technical collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Jim Sutter recalled the USSEC’s longstanding partnership with Pakistan and reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Pakistani stakeholders.

He highlighted USSEC’s continued engagement with Pakistan through technical assistance, capacity-building initiatives, industry training and nutrition awareness programmes aimed at supporting the sustainable development of Pakistan’s feed, poultry, dairy and food-processing sectors.

Both sides agreed to maintain close engagement and explore new opportunities to expand cooperation in the soybean sector as an important component of the broader Pakistan-U.S. economic partnership.