— PM highlights untapped potential of Pakistan’s agriculture sector
— Says modern technologies and water management key to boosting productivity
— Urges collaboration with China to enhance expertise and value chains
— Calls for sustainable growth coordination across government, farmers and scientists
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that Pakistan, essentially an agrarian economy, held immense and largely untapped potential in agriculture and can transform its agri-sector not in years, but in months by adopting modern technologies, improving productivity and strengthening cooperation with China.
Addressing the Pakistan–China Agri Investment Conference here, the prime minister noted that nearly 65% 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.
The prime minister said sustainable growth in agriculture required coordinated efforts by the federal and provincial governments, the farming community, and scientists and researchers. He 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 reiterated hope that President Xi Jinping will visit Pakistan soon and said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (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 Sharif, 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.
He noted that many key economic indicators were showing improvement, with inflation easing to around 4 per cent. He said China was deepening coordination under bilateral action plans and was ready to continue cooperation with Pakistan, particularly prioritising technology-driven agricultural development.
He added that China aimed to stabilise bilateral trade at around one billion dollars while maintaining Pakistan’s trade surplus with China. Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said that Pakistan remained fully committed to strengthening its strategic economic partnership with China by providing a conducive and investor-friendly environment, particularly in the agriculture and food security sectors.
He said the Ministry of National Food Security and Research stood fully committed to supporting Chinese investors, from facilitating regulatory processes to ensuring seamless coordination with all relevant government bodies.
He added that the government’s goal was to make Pakistan not merely a destination for investment but a place where Chinese enterprises could grow, innovate and succeed alongside Pakistani partners.
