ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan, an agricultural economy, has huge and largely untapped agricultural potential and can transform its agriculture sector within months – rather than years – by adopting modern technology, increasing productivity and strengthening cooperation with China.
Addressing the Pakistan-China Agri Investment Conference in the federal capital, the prime minister noted that nearly 65 percent of Pakistan’s population still lives and works in rural areas, where agriculture remains the backbone of the national economy.
He emphasized the need to increase the yield per acre through modern techniques, efficient water management and optimal utilization of limited land resources.
He said sustainable growth in agriculture required coordinated efforts by the federal and provincial governments, the farming community and scientists and researchers.
The Premier emphasized the importance of deciding what to grow and export, developing value chains, cold storage, warehousing and value addition to make Pakistani agricultural products globally competitive.
He described Beijing as a friend who had stood by Pakistan through thick and thin and said China had never hesitated to share expertise and advanced technologies.
He said the sending of 1,000 Pakistani graduates, selected on merit, to leading Chinese agricultural universities and research centers was a landmark initiative by the federal government.
He said the trained graduates had returned and would now help farmers improve quality, productivity and value addition.
Welcoming remarks by Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, the premier praised China’s achievements in agriculture, IT and artificial intelligence, manufacturing efficiency and export competitiveness. He said Pakistan must aim to create a trade surplus in agriculture through higher yields, competitive costs and superior quality, with Chinese experts providing support.
Citing improved economic indicators, he said inflation had fallen to 4.5 per cent, policy rate to 10.5 per cent and exports were increasing, adding that Pakistan must now shift decisively towards growth.
The prime minister also expressed hope that President Xi Jinping would visit Pakistan soon and said CPEC 2.0 would be a new chapter focusing on agriculture, IT, artificial intelligence, mines and minerals and youth development.
Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong said that China wanted to increase the bilateral agricultural trade volume up to $1 billion, with Pakistan achieving trade surplus.
He said he was happy to see that Pakistan’s economy under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz grew by over 3 percent last year and registered a growth rate of 3.7 percent in the first quarter of the current year.
