Sino-Pak cooperation to drive ahead Pakistan’s Agro-economy

 

ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 - Sino-Pak cooperation to drive ahead Pakistan’s Agri-economy, under the 2nd phase of CPEC, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Tuesday.

According to the report, China and Pakistan can strengthen cooperation in seed technology, farm machinery, water and irrigation management, food processing, dairy technology, international compliance, corporate farming, technology transfer at all levels.

Prof. Iqrar A. Khan, Vice Chancellor of University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) recently told Gwadar Pro that China’s yields at the farm level and products in the markets have evidenced huge leap. “China itself is a large consumer market.

The two countries can work together for serving markets on both sides. With CPEC and regional connectivity, the two sides can have joint access to markets in a greater region (Central Asia, Middle East, South East and Africa).”

Agricultural economy of Pakistan is in urgent need of reform. The yield is stagnant and productivity is lower than other countries in the region, with food imports surpassing $7 billion.

Iqrar argued the priority areas of improvement include Genetics (biotechnology and genome editing), seed technology, mechanization and precision, value addition, good agricultural practices (GAP) and skill development in which China can be a great help.

Pakistan’s high-quality items include rice, cotton made ups, potato, corn, mango, citrus, poultry, beef, fodder and hey etc. “Close proximity is the advantage for China and Pakistan.

However, institutional arrangements are still necessitated to be strengthened and the business to business needs a better match making to create successful joint ventures. A facilitation beyond official channels is also required,” Iqrar added.

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