Pak-China-Chilli-Farming-Coop-To-Further-Boost-Agri-Sector

Chinese Ambassador To Pakistan Nong Rong Praised Chilli Farming Project, Saying It Planted 100 Acres Of Chilli In Punjab.

Experts at a webinar have said that cooperation between China and Pakistan in the agriculture sector would help the two states ensure food security, improve livelihood, and contribute to the overall social-economic development.

They expressed these views during the webinar themed “Pakistan Chilli Contract Farming Project Promotion & Inaugural Conference of Pakistan-China Condiment Industry Alliance” which was participated by Chinese and Pakistani experts, China Economic Net reported yesterday. They discussed the potential of Pak-China agricultural cooperation, especially in chilli farming.

“China and Pakistan are complementary in agricultural production technology, project management, machinery and tools, and product consumption, which created broad space for practical agricultural cooperation between the two countries,” said Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong during the webinar.

As per agricultural cooperation, Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said, now a plan of over 20 projects is being implemented to modernize the agriculture sector in Pakistan, including new seeds to increase the crop yield, upgrading of irrigation system, promotion of agri-based industry for value addition and setting up global chain network.

“Value addition, marketing, and public-private partnership are some of the areas which can be worked on by the businessmen of both countries,” Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Pakistan, said, adding that the bilateral cooperation will enhance agricultural output and improve quality, enabling Pakistani commodities to reach international markets.

The Pakistan Chilli Contract Farming Project, carried out by China Machinery Engineering Corporation(CMEC) and Sichuan Litong Food Group, has shown great performance after trial farming in Pakistan. Chinese Ambassador To Pakistan Nong Rong Prised The Chilli Farming Project, Saying It Has Planted 100 Acres Of Chilli In Punjab In The First Half Of This Year, and plans to grow 3000 acres altogether in the second half of this year by expanding to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.

Nong added that the project is expected to produce more than 8,000 tons of dried chillies with a net income of more than 100,000 rupees per acre for local farmers. Based on this, it will further develop downstream deep processing industries and create more employment opportunities.

As Chen Li, GM of Litong Food Group introduced, in Phase-I of the Pakistan Chilli Contract Farming Project, China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation Pilot Zone is to be set up in 5 years, while in its Phase II, it is expected to grow 30,000 acres of chilli and build pigment extracting plant, with an industrial output value of USD 200 million. Chen added that in Phase III, a China-Pakistan food industrial park is planned to be established in 5 to 10 years, to promote the condiment industry in both countries.

 

This news was originally published at Nation.