The agriculture sector could not be left out due to the inherited limitation of resources and various challenges in the way of moving from conventional methods of farming to modern technologies. PHOTO: FILE
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 5th CAC Pakistan Exhibition on Thursday, the president said Pakistan wanted to take benefit of the Chinese experience in agriculture, harvesting and other areas and definitely the exhibition was paving the way for that.
“Agriculture plays a key role in Pakistan’s economy and makes an important contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employment,” Alvi said, adding that agriculture had a great potential to gain more benefit which was why the government was attaching great importance to the sector.
The president suggested that joint ventures between Pakistan and China would bring Chinese researchers, agricultural experts and business community to Pakistan and when they joined hands with Pakistani businessmen, the agriculture sector would get a boost.
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“It will also help Pakistan to get rid of the issues of low productivity and post-harvest losses,” he said.
Alvi stressed that investment could play a fundamental role in economic stability and the government was ensuring the provision of all possible facilities for the ease of doing business to encourage domestic and foreign investors.
Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Consul General Long Ding Bin pointed out that Pakistan and China had already initiated government-to-government cooperation in the agriculture sector and the exhibition had provided an opportunity to businessmen of both sides to initiate B2B cooperation.
“China is expanding cooperation with Pakistan in different sectors including agriculture and it wants to further deepen ties,” the envoy said.
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Chairperson Ma Chunyan suggested that Pakistan could ensure fast growth in the agriculture sector by taking benefit of Chinese expertise and advanced technology.
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said a well-performing and high-yielding agriculture sector was the need of the hour.
“Pakistan cannot do well without improving the performance of the agriculture sector. For ensuring the viability of the economy and long-term growth, it is necessary that all sectors of the economy pick up and complement each other,” he pointed out.
Sheikh was of the view that the agriculture sector could not be left out due to the inherited limitation of resources and various challenges in the way of moving from conventional methods of farming to modern technologies.
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“The present scenario demands that both the government and private sector need to join hands to make the most of the available resources by introducing innovative ways at an affordable cost for our farmers,” he said.
“We need to understand that mechanised farming has to be adopted to enhance the per-acre yield.”
The LCCI president said the agriculture sector desperately required locally developed as well as imported solutions in the fields of fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, farm machinery, equipment, etc.
“Our Chinese friends, who have developed cost-effective solutions in these areas, are offering these at reasonable rates. These Chinese companies are getting a lot of success in improving their standards and product range.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2019.
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