ISLAMABAD, Feb 15 (APP): A leading Chinese seed company has partnered with universities, research institutes and agribusinesses to modernize agriculture in Pakistan by upgrading skills and introducing advanced cultivation techniques.
Zhou Xusheng, Country Director of Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Company Ltd, told Wealth Pakistan that farmer education remains central to the company’s strategy. He said the firm is building long-term research capacity in Pakistan to address climate stress and rising food demand.
He emphasized that seed innovation must go hand in hand with farmer training. Providing quality seed alone is not sufficient; farmers must also be trained in its proper use, he added.
As part of this effort, the company runs both online and in-person programs to train technicians and partner teams in cultivation practices, variety characteristics and climate risk management.
“In China, we believe it is not enough to give people fish. The most important thing is to teach them how to catch fish,” Zhou said, stressing that knowledge transfer is essential for sustainable growth.
Each year, Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Company conducts more than 100 field training sessions for Pakistani farmers. “Our concept is: study in China, utilize in Pakistan,” Zhou said.
Under the China-Pakistan collaboration, 1,000 Pakistani agriculture graduates have completed three months of training in China. The program was co-hosted by Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Company and Huazhong Agricultural University, with a curriculum designed specifically around Pakistan’s seed technology needs.
Zhou said the program was developed following consultations with Chinese authorities and Pakistan’s leadership, after which students were invited to train in his home city.
In addition to classroom instruction, participants received hands-on exposure at China’s National Agricultural Park and National Agricultural High Technology Zone.
The trainees were also linked with fertilizer, agrochemical, seed, horticulture and food processing companies to observe how Chinese enterprises apply modern agricultural technologies across the entire production chain.
He said the initiative has been well received by the students, who will rejoin the company’s field programs upon returning to Pakistan.
Women’s empowerment also forms part of the company’s approach. It plans to work with local governments to enhance women’s participation in agriculture, particularly through family-based processing initiatives that enable women to earn income while supporting household nutrition.
Zhou noted that Pakistan’s fertile soil, favorable climate and hardworking farmers offer strong agricultural potential. However, frequent heatwaves and floods linked to climate change have created an urgent need for heat-tolerant crop varieties.
To address this challenge, Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Company is developing varieties directly in Pakistan rather than relying solely on trials conducted in China. It is also expanding winter crop programs to introduce Chinese vegetable varieties aimed at meeting the needs of Pakistan’s large and growing population.
Pakistan’s vegetable sector faces strong domestic demand driven by its 242 million population, with daily consumption remaining high. This has prompted efforts to introduce leading Chinese vegetable varieties to local farmers to help ensure adequate supply, Zhou said.
Chinese agri firm partners with universities to modernize Pakistan’s agriculture
