China, Pakistan form agri-tech group

BEIJING:

Also, earlier this week another landmark move in furthering bilateral cooperation among the two sides in the agricultural sector was taken through the fourth edition of the China Pakistan Joint Working Group on Agriculture held in Beijing.

The meeting was co chaired by senior officials from the Department of International Cooperation at China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and federal secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research who reviewed and discussed further expanding agricultural cooperation under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The write up of the first batch of agricultural projects and the second batch of projects proposed for commercialisation were key outcomes. The two sides also set up the China–Pakistan Agricultural Technology Working Group with the aim of strengthening research and innovation.

Joint laboratories and a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tropical agricultural cooperation would be set up in the near future, it was agreed. The discussions also included ways of strengthening collaboration in fields including fisheries, agricultural mechanisation, among others – areas that lay outside the pale of the original partnership.

It portrayed a common dedication by both nations to modernize agriculture, boost food security, as well as utilize technology for their mutual benefit.