Qureshi emphasizes deeper Pak-China cooperation in agriculture sector

ISLAMABAD, Sep 3 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Thursday emphasized the need to revamp and modernize Pakistan’s agriculture sector with China’s co-operation for unleashing the Second Green Revolution in the country.
In a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing here, the foreign minister said that agriculture was the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy and employed a large part of Pakistan’s productive labor force.
The Agriculture Commissioner of the Chinese Embassy Dr. Gu Wenliang also accompanied the ambassador.
Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that China, in recent years, had introduced wide-ranging reforms in its agriculture sector that had contributed significantly to China’s GDP and strengthened and diversified its R&D capacity.
He said it was imperative that Pakistan benefited from China’s experiences. He stressed that deeper agriculture cooperation between China and Pakistan would lead to job creation, enhancing agricultural productivity, poverty alleviation and stimulating economic recovery in Pakistan in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Welcoming the establishment of Joint Working Group on Agriculture Cooperation under CPEC, the foreign minister emphasized that inclusion of agriculture in CPEC would promote industrialization and modernization of the agriculture economy.
The foreign minister thanked China for helping Pakistan fight locust plague through provision of pesticides, machinery and drones.
The foreign minister emphasized that Foot and Mouth Disease Free Zone would help Pakistan in export of meat to China and, in that regard, urged China to send a team of its technical experts to Pakistan to visit relevant facilities and expedite exports of meat to China.
Ambassador Yao Jing hoped that the co-operation between China and Pakistan in agriculture sector would grow and solidify leading to substantial economic benefits for Pakistan and its people.
He underlined that China would like to collaborate with Pakistan in setting up Agriculture Technology Centers, Joint Research Centre for Plant Pest and Disease Control, and FMD Zones in Pakistan.
He added that under the Second Phase of FTA China would also welcome import of agriculture products from Pakistan.
Foreign Minister Qureshi thanked the Ambassador for the measures that Beijing was taking to support Pakistan’s agriculture sector and stressed that the business sectors of both countries must also explore joint ventures in tapping the potential of agriculture sector.