Pakistan And Portugal Seek Stronger Investment Ties In Textiles, Agriculture And SEZs.
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✧ GENERATE BRIEFING
Pakistan's SIFC and Portuguese Ambassador Paulo Domingues discuss expanding bilateral trade, textile tech, agriculture, and SEZ investments. Pakistan and Portugal have explored expanding bilateral economic, trade, and investment ties during high-level discussions between the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and Portuguese Ambassador Paulo Domingues. The talks focused on unlocking commercial opportunities across priority growth areas, including textiles, modern agriculture, information and communication technology (ICT), pharmaceuticals, and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). During the briefing, SIFC highlighted Pakistan’s investor-centric facilitation framework, aimed at easing administrative barriers for foreign capital. Bilateral trade between the two nations reached approximately $288 million in FY2025, underpinned by strong Pakistani textile and agricultural exports. Both sides also underscored institutional collaborations, such as the establishment of FC Porto’s Dragon Force Academy in Sialkot in partnership with Forward Sports, reflecting deepening business-to-business and cultural ties.
Pakistan and Portugal have discussed expanding economic, trade and investment cooperation, with potential opportunities identified in textiles, agriculture, information technology, pharmaceuticals and Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
The discussions took place between the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and Portugal’s Ambassador Paulo Domingues, who reviewed areas of mutual interest and opportunities to strengthen links between businesses and investors from both countries.
SIFC briefed the Portuguese ambassador on Pakistan’s investment potential across priority sectors and its investor-focused facilitation framework, which is designed to provide coordinated support to domestic and foreign investors.
Textiles remain an important area for bilateral commercial cooperation. Pakistan’s exports to Portugal include home textiles, cotton woven products and knitwear, while Pakistan’s embassy in Lisbon has identified opportunities for collaboration with Portugal in textile technology, sustainable production and innovation.
Agriculture was also highlighted as a potential area for deeper cooperation. Pakistan and Portugal have recently discussed collaboration in olive cultivation, modern orchard management, irrigation, mechanised harvesting, olive-oil processing and technology transfer, with both sides considering stronger technical and private-sector linkages.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, bilateral trade reached around $288 million in FY2025, with Pakistan’s exports rising from $173 million in 2020 to $236 million in 2025. Pakistan mainly exports textiles, agricultural products, leather goods, footwear, sports goods and rice to Portugal.
The engagement also highlighted the FC Porto Dragon Force Academy in Sialkot, launched through a partnership between Portuguese football club FC Porto and Pakistani company Forward Sports. SIFC said the initiative provides another platform for strengthening institutional and commercial ties between the two countries.
SIFC stressed the importance of continued engagement with international partners to identify commercially viable projects and build stronger connections between Pakistani and Portuguese investors. The discussions could provide a basis for further business-to-business cooperation in manufacturing, agriculture, technology and investment projects.
