Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain attended the Pak-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing, where more than two dozen Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth over $4 billion were signed in the agriculture sector.
The one-day conference, held alongside the Prime Minister’s visit to China, featured an opening and closing ceremony as well as multiple business-to-business sessions. Mr Hussain participated in a dozen meetings with leading Chinese and Pakistani agri-industry players. These included GDSP Dayu, GDSP Jessica EV, GDSP PIESAT, GDSP LOVOL, Sanyang Company Xinjiang, Jinghua Seed Industry Co. Ltd, Guard Agricultural Research & Services (Pvt) Limited, and China State Engineering Construction Corporation GDSP, among others.
During the meetings, the minister invited Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture sector with a focus on mechanization, seed development, smart farming, and precision agriculture for data-driven productivity gains. He underlined that these areas are crucial for strengthening Pakistan’s food security while opening new avenues for bilateral cooperation.
Highlighting China’s $215 billion annual agricultural import market, Mr Hussain said Pakistan can play a significant role in supplying tropical and temperate fruits, vegetables, and cereal crops. He stressed that Pakistan, as China’s closest neighbour and a “brotherly country,” offers geographical proximity and competitive pricing advantages compared to imports from Brazil and other Western countries.
The minister praised the initiatives of both Pakistani and Chinese agricultural companies under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reaffirming Islamabad’s commitment to fostering long-term agri-sector partnerships with Beijing.
