Pakistan, China explore avenues for further agricultural cooperation

As CPEC is embarking on the second phase with a focus on industrial cooperation, further opportunities are being presented to Chinese investors to deepen the ongoing Sino-Pak cooperative partnership, Gwadar Pro reported on Saturday.

The Pakistani Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) in its 2018 Food Security Policy envisages nine agricultural development zones along CPEC to develop clusters and infrastructure by encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration.

The report says, land remediation plans under CPEC would help increase the efficiency and productivity of the crop sector by transforming low and medium yield lands into higher one by enhancing the seed usage.

Pakistan is one of the countries where China would build its storage stations and processing zones.

This would help lower the significant postharvest losses in the sector. Currently, only one-third of total demand is met with the available storage facilities.

Investment in the private sector would not only help mitigate this supply deficit but also provide learning opportunities on storage knowhow among local farmers.

This potential transmit arrangement between the two countries will be beneficial for the local trading firms in both countries.

With the progression of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the establishment of the China-Pakistan Agricultural and Industrial Cooperation Information Platform, Pakistan’s agriculture is becoming a land of opportunities for Chinese investors.