ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain on Thursday held a high-level meeting with a senior Chinese delegation on the sidelines of the China-Pakistan Economic and Trade Exchange Conference The meeting was attended by He Zhongyou, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), the Chairman of China Xinjian Group, and Jiang Zaidong, Ambassador of China to Pakistan said a press release.
The two sides discussed in detail the prospects of enhancing cooperation in the field of agriculture, particularly focusing on research, cotton production, seed development, irrigation efficiency, and technological exchange.
Rana Tanveer Hussain emphasized that agriculture is not just a cornerstone of Pakistan’s economy but also a vital bridge for Pakistan-China collaboration.
He highlighted the challenges Pakistan has faced in recent years, especially in cotton production, where declining yields and outdated seed varieties have created major setbacks.
The minister expressed keen interest in learning from Xinjiang’s remarkable progress in improving agricultural productivity, especially in regions with arid and semi-arid climates, which closely resemble many parts of Pakistan.
He noted that Xinjiang’s achievements in crop yield optimization, irrigation management, and mechanization could serve as a model for transformation in Pakistan’s agriculture sector.
Both sides shared a strong mutual desire to institutionalize collaboration by initiating technical working groups consisting of agricultural experts and researchers.
These groups will explore and implement projects focusing on high-yield cotton seed development, advanced water-saving irrigation technologies, and modern farming techniques suitable for the ecological zones of Pakistan.
Rana Tanveer Hussain proposed that this cooperation should also extend specifically to the Gilgit-Baltistan region, leveraging the climatic and geographic similarities with Xinjiang to promote innovation and sustainable agricultural growth.
The minister also underlined the importance of public-private partnerships and urged Chinese enterprises, including those from XPCC and China Xinjian Group, to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s agriculture and agri-business sectors.