Pakistani graduates to drive modern farming

On August 15, one month after returning to Pakistan, Akbar posted a short video of the final episode of his "Diary of Studying in China" on social media. "I want more friends to see China's beautiful countryside, modern agricultural technology, and hospitable people," he said in the video.

Akbar is one of the first participants in the Pakistani agriculture "Thousand Talents Plan" training programme. On July 17, Akbar and 291 other students completed a three-month training programme at the Yangling Demonstration Zone and "graduated" from the Northwest A&F University and the Shaanxi Vocational and Technical College of Agriculture and Forestry.

The "Thousand Talents Plan" is a concrete measure to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of China and Pakistan on strengthening cooperation in the agricultural field. Under the programme, the Pakistani government selects 1,000 agricultural talents to study in China. The first group of students was divided into five classes and received specialised training in livestock breeding and genomics, livestock disease prevention and control technology, seed production and processing technology, and other fields.

Participants like Akbar, who have gained authentic agricultural knowledge, are becoming practitioners and witnesses in promoting China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation and spreading friendship.

"Undoubtedly, Yangling's agricultural technology is in a leading position, and I hope our two countries can strengthen cooperation in related fields," said Ali, who, like many other participants, was amazed by the modernisation of China's agriculture.

Ali once studied for a doctorate at Huazhong Agricultural University. This time, he completed training in seed production and processing technology at the Northwest A&F University.

"I learnt that the China-Pakistan Bio-health Agricultural Science and Technology Demonstration Park began operating in Pakistan in 2021 and has selected several wheat varieties suitable for planting, which are high yielding and of good quality," Ali said. After obtaining his doctorate in 2020, Ali has been working for a large agricultural company in Pakistan, mainly responsible for wheat breeding. He is well aware of the broad prospects for China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation.