Abdullah Omran, Chairman of UAE's Al-Omran Group, the owner of Maaza International, met Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday, said an official statement. Aziz said that Pakistan enjoys a comparative advantage over other countries of the region due to the availability of skilled manpower, low manufacturing cost and availability of infrastructure and raw material at cheaper rates. He said Pakistan is an ideal location to be the regional hub for manufacturing and trade. He said said that bilateral relations between Pakistan and UAE are bound in ties of shared faith, culture and historically have enjoyed close and brotherly relations. The prime minister mentioned that several leading groups of UAE have invested in Pakistan in various sectors particularly telecom and construction and are benefiting from the reform oriented policies of the government. Aziz was told that Maaza has invested nearly $ 50 million in Pakistan during the last five years. The company is manufacturing and distributing juices and bottled water in the country. Presently Maaza is also involved in Tawana Pakistan Project of the Social Welfare Ministry under which micro-nutrient added juice and fortified biscuits are provided to girl students in government schools in four districts of the country. Abdullah Omran said his Group is impressed with the reform agenda and macro-economic policies of Pakistan. He told the prime minister that his company is interested in exploring investment opportunities in other sectors as well particularly in the dairy sector. The group, he said, is also interested in exporting mango pulp from Pakistan.
