Including agriculture: FPCCI stresses on exploiting full benefits of CPEC

Says membership of SCO will provide Pakistan access to larger export market

KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has urged the Planning Commission to devise a thorough business plan through which Pakistan could benefit from China’s expertise in the agricultural sector.

“The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) may open new doors of cooperation in the agriculture sector, which would help in transfer of technology pertaining to agro-chemicals, pesticides, seeds and fertilisers,” FPCCI Standing Committee Head on Horticulture Exports Ahmad Jawad said in a press release.

The size of the Chinese economy is much bigger than that of Pakistan and yet it is not clear what the CPEC polices will be, if agriculture is included? The gut feeling is that it should be left alone. The corridor is already very intrusive and there is general perception of dependency on China, he added.



The membership of Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) would provide Pakistan an access to a large market for its exports, and attract investments in the energy and infrastructure sector. However, there is a difference between Pakistan gaining new markets for growth.

He said Pakistani kinnows, dates, mangoes, guavas, bananas green chillies, tomatoes and cauliflower, among other fruits and vegetables, have a good potential in these countries once CPEC is operational.

“With the establishment of an agro-business development center, Pakistan would not be able to enter the Chinese market with finished agricultural products, besides adding more value to its own commodities.”

Similarly, he added, Chinese businessmen started negotiations with their Pakistani counterparts to execute the horticulture trade from 2017. Pakistan has the eye catching opportunity to promote its horticulture products through CPEC route on economical rates.

Though Pakistan produces precious fruits starting from Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) to Balochistan, what the country needs is to setup controlled atmosphere (CA) stores through public private partnership mode along the CPEC routes to facilitate fresh produce exports especially in G-B and Balochistan.

Jawad mentioned setting up agro-business centres that may be developed on the way of Kashmore, Shikarpur, Jhal Magsi and Khuzdar, where a variety of agro-commodities are marketed. Similarly, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur -are a potential market for crops like wheat, pulses, cotton, sugarcane, rice and fruits such as mango, watermelon, besides vegetables, livestock and dairy.

He said that we have not benefited from the free trade agreement signed between the two countries, but the Chinese have taken full advantage of the concessions they have gotten under FTA from Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2016.

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