China, Pakistan to sign MoU on agricultural cooperation framework under CPEC

China and Pakistan are set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) leading to a Framework Agreement on Agricultural Cooperation between the two countries under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.

The MoU will be signed next month during the meeting of the China-Pakistan Joint Working Group (JWG) on Agricultural Cooperation. This was disclosed by Dr. Gu Wenliang, Agricultural Counsellor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Islamabad, during a lecture on China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation under CPEC.

It will be a historic occasion as the resultant framework agreement will enormously expand the scope of agricultural cooperation between the two countries, he said.

China and Pakistan have already signed a framework agreement on industrial cooperation under the 2nd phase of CPEC.

“During my stay in Pakistan, I saw that this country has huge potential in the agricultural field, and the framework agreement will give a big boost to China-Pakistan cooperation in the sector. The majority of the Pakistani population, especially in rural areas, depends on agriculture, so this cooperation will result in uplifting the lives of the entire population of Pakistan, “Dr. Gu said.

“We have already executed pilot projects in agriculture and livestock fields, based on which we are going to launch full-scale cooperation with Pakistan in every related area,” Dr. Gu said. He added that Pakistan will soon be able to produce plant pesticides as well as animal vaccines after the completion of relevant projects underway in the country with China’s cooperation. This will save big amounts being spent on pesticide imports for Pakistan and will also help in overcoming the problem of foot and mouth diseases (FMDs) in Pakistani animals, he said. Pakistan has already eliminated the locust issue with Chinese help, he said.