A Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was held at National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad under the Chairmanship of Mr. Sher Ali Arbab, MNA.
The Committee was briefed by Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security & Research and Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council regarding Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and other projects related to the agriculture sector.
The Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), while sharing 10 years development targets under CPEC, briefed the Committee that PARC’s aim is to change Pakistan from a cotton import country to a cotton export country and save foreign exchange of US $1.5 billion.
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Besides renovation of existing orchards, the introduction of new varieties, reducing post-harvest losses, improving value chain and development of rural industries are major proposed interventions.
The Committee also paid a visit to the exhibition at National Agriculture Research Centre where a comprehensive briefing was given to the Committee by concerned regarding Agrotech Company, aquaculture and fisheries program, Honeybee Research Institute, alternative energy use in agriculture and vegetable and fruit crops cultivation processes.
Chairman remarked that “Historically agriculture has been the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and a potential source of employment for the people of Pakistan. We need to strengthen this diminishing sector under the CPEC framework. It is therefore imperative that Pakistan need not rely on China for technological transfer rather boost its capacity building and enhance the areas of research to encourage indigenous technological innovations and modernize its agriculture sector.”
The Committee observed that the research which is being generated by PARC to enhance agricultural production needs to be collaborated with the Ministry of Commerce and other concerns to check the economic viability of that agricultural commodities so that Pakistan’s vast agriculture potential could be utilized in enhancing agricultural exports. Moreover, it was noted that China imports meat worth US$ 48 billion from other countries.
Taking Pakistan’s huge potential in livestock and other food processing items into account, there is an exigency of meeting international food standards and initiate negotiations with China to remove anomalies and enhance Pakistan’s exports in these areas. This is how Pakistan’s engagement with China can be made more prolific and constructive under the CPEC framework.
The Committee remarked that farmers are the major stakeholders of the agriculture sector. It is concerning that seeds of various crops are not being provided to farmers timely. Bottlenecks in this regard need to be removed to ensure fair and timely distribution of crop seeds to the farmers so that by resolving farmers’ issues agricultural productivity could be enhanced and the agriculture sector could be made more beneficial for these important stakeholders.
In the light of these issues, Hon. Chairman remarked that a selected group of farmers from all provinces and regions would be invited to convey their issues to PARC so that their problems could be resolved and recommended to Hon. Members to send the list of issues which they believe are important to be addressed so that Committee may take up those issues with PARC and resolve them accordingly.
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The Committee further added that the vast potential of the agriculture sector if exploited prudently and effectively will vehemently alter the socio-economic landscape of our country, bring lasting economic benefits and strengthen the process of industrialization under the CPEC framework. Therefore more focused and integrated efforts are required to revive the agriculture sector and further utilize its potential for ensuring inclusive economic growth and development.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Noor Alam Khan, MNA, Mr. Sadaqat Ali Khan Abbasi, MNA, Mr. Umer Aslam Khan, MNA, Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, MNA, Mr. Ghous Bux Khan Mahar, MNA, Mr. Murtaza Javed Abbasi, MNA, Ms. Mehnaz Akber Aziz, MNA, Mr. Raza Rabani Khar, MNA and Senator Mir Kabir Ahmed Muhammad Shahi.
