Experts call for Pak-China joint working group for agricultural development.

ISLAMABAD -- The experts on Tuesday called for a joint Pak-China socio-economic working group under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for promoting agricultural development and uplift to improve crop productivity, farmland health, and prosperity of farmers through climate-smart agriculture.

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) organized a capacity-building workshop on Climate-Smart Agricultural Cooperation under CPEC here which was moderated by Research Associate, SDPI, Zainab Naeem, and participated by members of academia, experts from the Chinese Embassy, PARC, students, and media.

Senior Advisor and Research Fellow, SDPI Dr Hassan Daud Butt said the joint working group with demonstration centers should be established across the country under the second phase of the CPEC for demonstrations of advanced techniques to train and acquaint farmers with the latest agricultural methodologies for better production.

Dr Butt said the export of agricultural products from Pakistan to China including rice 15%, and soybean 30% with dry red chilies and cherries were growing at a positive pace. Interestingly, he said, the Pakistani fish of Gwadar was being sold in Shenzhen and Urumqi.

He said the latest tech for Climate Smart Agriculture was available in the market due to China but the cost of tech, human resource capacity to absorb it, and poverty due to poor yield were the bottlenecks in Pakistan that should be resolved.

'Climate Change devastation is spiking up and if not addressed will become a security challenge,' he added.

Dr Butt said the economists of the country needed to create synergies between the rural and urban economies to reduce disparity and enhance harmony in the development process. 'The government will have to encourage farmers through incentives by making agricultural products more profitable. Aquamarine potential needs to be tapped in Pakistan as China grows rice and shrimp inside the rice paddies,' he added.

Dr Butt underlined that the government would have to ensure housing for farmers, make tech available at cheaper rates and reduce the cost of products and focus on the rural economy.

Second Secretary, Embassy of China (Economic and Commercial), Dr Gu Wenliang said China also faced similar challenges due to climate change and was working to meet the demands of productivity. He said the government of China had transformed the farmland by building infrastructure for better resilience, use of irrigation...