ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said Pakistan, an agrarian economy, has immense and largely untapped agricultural potential and can transform its agricultural sector in months – rather than years – by adopting modern technology, boosting productivity and strengthening cooperation with China.
Addressing the Pakistan-China Agricultural 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, and agriculture remains the backbone of the national economy.
He emphasized the need to improve per acre yield through modern techniques, efficient water management and optimal use of limited land resources.
He said sustainable growth in agriculture requires coordinated efforts by the federal and provincial governments, the agricultural community and scientists and researchers.
The Prime Minister underlined the importance of deciding what to grow and export, developing value chains, cold storage, warehousing and value addition to make Pakistani agricultural products globally competitive.
He described Beijing as a friend that had supported Pakistan through thick and thin and said China had never hesitated to share experience and advanced technologies.
He said sending 1,000 Pakistani graduates, selected on merit, to leading Chinese agricultural universities and research centers was a historic initiative of the federal government.
He said trained graduates had returned and would now help farmers improve quality, productivity and value addition.
Following welcoming remarks by Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, the premier praised China’s achievements in agriculture, IT and artificial intelligence, manufacturing efficiency and export competitiveness. He said Pakistan should aim to generate trade surplus in agriculture through higher yields, competitive costs and superior quality, with the support of Chinese experts.
Referring to improving economic indicators, he said inflation had fallen to 4.5 per cent, the official rate to 10.5 per cent and exports were increasing, adding that Pakistan must now move decisively towards growth.
The prime minister also expressed hope that President Xi Jinping would visit Pakistan soon and said CPEC 2.0 would be a new chapter, focusing on agriculture, information technology, artificial intelligence, mines and minerals, and youth development.
On the occasion, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong said that China wanted to increase the volume of bilateral agricultural trade up to $1 billion and Pakistan would achieve a trade surplus.
He said he was delighted to see that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz, Pakistan’s economy grew by more than 3 percent last year and recorded a growth rate of 3.7 percent in the first quarter of the current year.
