Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited a leading Chinese agricultural academy to take over the management of Pakistan's primary agriculture research center, describing the institution as “dormant” and calling for a Chinese-led overhaul to modernize the country's struggling farm sector.
Sharif's Remarks in Beijing
Speaking at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing on Tuesday, Sharif received an honorary professorship and made an impassioned appeal for Chinese institutional involvement. He stated, “The Pakistan Agricultural Research Center, I have to say with a heavy heart, is dormant. And if we have to build our future, if we have to empower our youth and really transform our agriculture, then our research centers have to be revitalized and bring in fresh blood to promote research and development.”
Sharif proposed that the Chinese academy not merely take a lead role but “take over the management of this institution through a mutual contract and on long-term basis, if not long-term basis, on medium-term basis.”
Agricultural Cooperation Under CPEC
The remarks came during Sharif's visit to China, where Pakistan is seeking deeper cooperation in agriculture, technology, and industrial development under the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan's economy, employing over one-third of the workforce and contributing roughly a quarter of GDP. However, the sector has long faced low productivity, water shortages, outdated research systems, post-harvest losses, and limited modernization.
Sharif linked agricultural modernization to Pakistan's broader economic future, noting that CPEC 2.0 will prioritize agriculture. He said, “Yesterday, my meeting with Chinese leadership, with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, were most productive. We have reiterated to accelerate CPEC 2.0, and under this framework, agriculture tops the list.”
Training for Pakistani Graduates
The prime minister also announced plans to send another 1,000 Pakistani agriculture graduates to Chinese universities for advanced training. This follows an earlier batch of graduates sent under a government-sponsored program aimed at improving expertise in modern farming, irrigation, seed development, and food security.
Sharif emphasized agriculture's central role in Pakistan's long-term economic transformation, stating, “Of course, IT, AI are tools in our hands of today and tomorrow. But if we have to holistically transform our economy, it is agriculture. It is agriculture and it is agriculture.”
