PM eyes agri revival through China's help

Says 65% of population lives, works in rural areas

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said Pakistan, an agrarian economy, has immense and largely untapped agricultural potential and can transform its agri-sector within months - rather than years - by adopting modern technology, boosting productivity and strengthening cooperation with China.

Addressing the Pakistan-China Agri Investment Conference in the federal capital, the prime minister noted that nearly 65 per cent of Pakistan's population still lives and works in rural areas, with agriculture remaining the backbone of the national economy.

He stressed the need to enhance per-acre yield through modern techniques, efficient water management and optimal use 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 underlined the importance of deciding what to grow and export, developing value chains, cold storage, warehousing and value addition to make Pakistani agricultural produce globally competitive.

He described Beijing as a friend who had stood by Pakistan through thick and thin and said China had never hesitated in sharing expertise and advanced technologies.

He said the dispatch of 1,000 Pakistani graduates, selected on merit, to leading Chinese agricultural universities and research centres was a landmark initiative of 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 prime minister praised China's achievements in agriculture, IT and AI, efficiency in manufacturing, and export competitiveness. He said Pakistan must aim to generate a trade surplus in agriculture through higher yields, competitive costs and superior quality, with Chinese experts providing support.

Referring to improving economic indicators, he said inflation had fallen to 4.5 per cent, the policy rate to 10.5 per cent, and exports were rising, 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 that CPEC 2.0 would be a new chapter, focusing on agriculture, IT, AI, mines and minerals, and youth development.

Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong on the occasion said China wanted to increase the bilateral agriculture trade volume up to $1 billion with Pakistan achieving trade surplus.

He said, he was delighted to see that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz, Pakistan's economy grew by over 3 per cent last year and recorded a growth rate of 3.7 per cent in the first quarter of the current year.