A webinar on "China-Pakistan: Possibilities for Agricultural Cooperation" was organised by the Pakistan Institute of China Studies (PICS) and University of Sargodha (UoS), in conjunction with the College of Agriculture and the Chinese Embassy. The webinar's objectives included modernising the agricultural sector, increasing bilateral agricultural cooperation, and emphasising the importance of agriculture to both countries' economies.

According to the participants, such collaboration will not only boost agricultural output but also open up job possibilities, improve food security, and promote community service. Dr. Gu Wenliang, the Agriculture Commissioner of the Chinese Embassy, addressed the webinar and provided a thorough outline of the existing agricultural cooperation between China and Pakistan. He stated that China and Pakistan hold joint working group meetings every year and have several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on agricultural cooperation.

In order to strengthen the ability of Pakistan's agricultural research institutes, he emphasised that there are four planned agricultural initiatives under the China Aid Agricultural Project. China and Pakistan have begun working together in this regard through multilateral frameworks like the SCO Agricultural Cooperation, China-IFAD South-South and triangular cooperation, and the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme Trust Fund.

He said China also offered Pakistanis practical and online training courses on agricultural capacity building. Dr Gu praised the work being done at the UoS in association with Chinese universities. He reaffirmed ongoing support for increasing agricultural academic engagement with Chinese universities and institutions.

The participants from the College of Agriculture UoS and the Director of PICS also spoke at the webinar. They emphasised the CPEC's agricultural cooperation initiatives in the seed industry, new technology, agricultural machinery, disease management, the manufacturing of buffalo embryos, chilli contract farming, and how contemporary technologies are transforming Pakistani agriculture. They also discussed the achievements of the China-Pakistan Joint Research Institute for Citrus Diseases and Pest Control.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Sargodha Prof. Dr. Qasir Abbas is working hard to forge connections between the public and private sectors in order to promote knowledge-based modernization in business and agriculture. In this regard, the UoS has signed MoUs with two leading Chinese agricultural universities, Lanzhou University, and South China Agricultural University.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk