Kiwifruit production training workshop in China explores pragmatic assistance to Pakistan

September 4, 2026

An international 15-day workshop on kiwifruit production concluded in Chengdu on August 31, bringing together 14 agricultural experts from Pakistan, Egypt, Nepal and Palestine. The program covered breeding, cultivation, orchard management, post-harvest handling and marketing through lectures, field visits and practical training. Pakistani experts highlighted successful kiwifruit trials in upland areas such as Hazara, Swat and Murree, but noted that expansion faces phytosanitary barriers to importing germplasm. They suggested China could support Pakistan through technical training, tissue-culture expertise, disease detection, SPS compliance, cold-chain infrastructure and modern farming practices.

BEIJING, Sep 04 (APP):The international training workshop on “Kiwifruit Production” was concluded in Chengdu on August 31, with 14 agricultural experts from Pakistan, Egypt, Nepal and Palestine had participated.

The 15-day program was held in Chengdu and Deyang in Sichuan Province and Guilin in Guangxi.

Jointly organized by Sichuan Provincial Academy of Natural Resource Sciences and Guangxi Institute of Botany, it covered kiwifruit breeding, cultivation, orchard management, post-harvest handling and marketing, China Economic Net reported.

The program combined lectures, field visits, practical training and academic exchanges, with experts from China and abroad, including the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research and the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Pakistani participant Dr. Mushtaq Hussain Soomro, a consultant at the Women in Agriculture Development Organization of Pakistan said kiwifruit production has been tested in Pakistan’s Hazara Division and other upland areas, including Mansehra, Abbottabad, Battagram, Swat and Murree. Trials conducted by the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the National Tea and High Value Crops Research Institute (NTHRI) since 2014 recorded about 90% plant survival.

However, further expansion of kiwifruit production in Pakistan is constrained by phytosanitary requirements for importing live germplasm. Under Pakistan’s plant quarantine regulations, such imports require an import permit, pest risk analysis, a phytosanitary certificate and post-entry quarantine, according to Dr. Soomro.

“Within these constraints, Chinese-led support to Pakistan is practically feasible in non-germplasm areas, including trellis, pruning and pollination know-how; in-country tissue-culture support for Hayward rootstocks; laboratory capacity for Psa pathogen detection and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) compliance; cold-chain and packhouse infrastructure; Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to meet export Sanitary and SPS requirements; and training via the CPEC Joint Working Group on Agriculture,” Dr. Mushtaq Hussain Soomro told CEN.

It was learned that the workshop marked its third edition, with Pakistani experts also participated in the 2025 program.

Kiwifruit production training workshop in China explores pragmatic assistance to Pakistan

China donates 300,000 doses of veterinary vaccines to Pakistan

Zhongshan Studio, PTV sign second Five-Year cooperation agreement: A new chapter for China-Pakistan cultural exchange

Ahsan calls for private sector’s leading role in realizing CPEC Phase-II potential

Ishaq Dar, Wang Yi reaffirm Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Partnership

Pakistan deepens China cooperation in IT, agriculture and climate resilience: Ahsan Iqbal

CPEC-II offers major opportunity to revive economy via green growth: PFC

PM Shehbaz to embark on three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan today for SCO summit

Punjab to introduce AI-powered scanner for early detection of multiple diseases

Punjab, Alibaba Cloud explore strategic partnership on AI-based governance

Kiwifruit production training workshop in China explores pragmatic assistance to Pakistan