China and Pakistan deepen agricultural cooperation under CPEC for sustainable growth

Islamabad: China and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening agricultural industrial cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), signalling a renewed focus on sustainable growth, technological exchange, and food security.

Addressing the China-Pakistan High-Quality Agricultural Cooperation Development Forum in Islamabad, Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy, Shi Yuanqiang, highlighted China’s readiness to share its agricultural models, advanced technologies, and research expertise to support Pakistan’s agrarian sector.

The event was organized by the China Chamber of Commerce in Pakistan (CCCPK) and attended by senior officials, researchers, and private sector representatives from both countries.

Shi emphasized that Pakistan’s agriculture sector holds enormous potential and that cooperation under CPEC has already yielded fruitful results. “Pakistani farmers are progressing well, and we’ve seen many successful joint ventures flourish in recent years,” he remarked. He noted that scientific collaboration and institutional partnerships in agricultural innovation have deepened significantly.

The forum spotlighted the strategic importance of agriculture as a backbone of Pakistan’s economy, contributing nearly 20% to GDP and providing employment to over a third of the population. Speakers including Mrs. Amina Bajwa of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Pakistan and Federal Secretary for National Food Security and Research, Ch. Waseem Ajmal, underlined the critical need to modernize agriculture in the face of climate change and rising food demands.

Highlighting new milestones, Shi revealed that joint working groups between China and Pakistan have identified priority areas for collaboration, leading to the expansion of bilateral trade, investment, and technology sharing in the sector. He stressed that sustainable agriculture, food security, and climate resilience are pressing global challenges, and that China and Pakistan must jointly address them through shared innovation.

The CCCPK President, Wang Huihua, reaffirmed the Chamber’s commitment to long-term development, emphasizing that mutual respect, innovation, and strategic planning are key to transforming agriculture into a resilient and modern sector. “With unity and shared vision, we can overcome any challenge and ensure a brighter agricultural future,” Wang said.

The forum featured five thematic sessions covering critical areas such as hybrid double-zero canola, chili and sesame contract farming, buffalo breeding and dairy processing, modernization of cold storage, and financial empowerment. The event also marked the launch of a publication, Typical Cases of China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation, and witnessed the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering oil-feed integration, livestock equipment, and sustainable crop production.

Stakeholders from government bodies, research centers, agribusinesses, and financial institutions hailed the event as a pivotal step in transforming Pakistan’s agriculture through targeted Chinese support and modern practices. Together, the two nations are working to create an integrated agricultural value chain and a robust green economy under the CPEC vision.