ISLAMABAD: Private sector companies from Pakistan and China have signed 78 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth $4.5 billion at the conclusion of the Pak-China Agriculture Investment Conference, formally elevating agriculture as a priority sector under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Death Toll in Karachi’s Gul Plaza Fire Rises to 28 as Search Continues
Briefing the media on Tuesday, Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said the conference would help expand bilateral agricultural trade, attract investment in key sub-sectors, modernise production and processing systems, and strengthen commercial partnerships between private enterprises of the two countries.
He said cooperation would cover 10 priority agricultural sub-sectors, including seed production technology, construction of grain storage and warehouses, export of heat-treated beef and offal, cheese production, improvement of milk processing machinery, buffalo UHT milk and camel milk powder, poultry machinery, chemicals and bio-pesticides, feed mill equipment, renewable irrigation technologies, value addition in mango pulp and tea, fodder production, fish and shrimp feed technology, fruit processing, citrus orchard development, rice value addition and soya milk packaging.
Out of the 78 agreements signed, 37 were business-to-business investment agreements, 24 joint ventures and 14 partnership agreements. The priority sectors identified included agri-chemicals and inputs, agri-machinery, food processing and value addition, meat and poultry, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, animal feed, fisheries and aquaculture, cold chain systems, and food-grade packaging and equipment.
The minister said agriculture had now been formally included as a priority area under CPEC 2.0. To ensure effective implementation of the agreements, dedicated units would be established within the ministry and at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing to oversee follow-up and coordination.
He added that enhanced agricultural cooperation with China would help boost Pakistan’s exports, which currently stand at around $8 billion annually. The government aims to double agricultural exports over the next three years.
Mr Hussain said the conference was designed as an investment-focused platform rather than a general consultative forum, with emphasis on direct private sector engagement, business matchmaking and facilitation aligned with national goals of agricultural modernisation and export-led growth.
He said 116 Chinese and 165 Pakistani companies participated in the event, enabling targeted business-to-business interactions. Pakistan also showcased investable projects, agricultural value chains and recent policy reforms. He added that Pakistan had already signed a protocol with China for milk products.
According to official documents, the food security ministry plans to sign more than 25 sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and export protocols with key partners, including China, in 2026. The government also intends to introduce a new seed policy and a national agricultural biotechnology policy to facilitate the use of genetically modified seeds.
Proposals are also under consideration to allow the export of pesticides and fertilisers under specific conditions, particularly to regional and African markets.
Conference participants were informed that Pakistan’s annual fruit production exceeds 10 million tonnes, while vegetable production stands at over 9 million tonnes. With a growing population, domestic demand for agricultural produce is increasing at more than five per cent annually.
