Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing said China is eager to import meat, potato, onion, mango and cherry from Pakistan and Chinese experts will visit quarantine facilities here in February this year.
Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing expressed these views during his meeting with Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar here on Wednesday.
Chinese Ambassador expressed his confidence upon Khusro Bakhtiar as former Minister for Planning & Development, viz a viz his contribution towards the expansion of phase-II of CPEC and his considerable contributions therein. He also acknowledged his dedicated efforts for giving new impetus to agricultural cooperation under CPEC. Federal Secretary, Chairman PARC and other officials of the Ministry were also present.
The Ambassador further said that China wants to build stronger socio-economic ties with Pakistan; and also wants to buy more from Pakistan.
Yao Jing said that China has a great demand for meat and poultry and it could be lucrative international market for Pakistan and both countries must work together for removal of technical barriers like SPS and quarantine requirements.
Federal Minister Khusro Bakhtiar said that we are focusing on strategically structuring agriculture under CPEC. He added that we want enhanced productivity of cotton which has considerably plummeted, both countries could work on exchange of pest resistant, high yielding germplasm(s) of cotton and it is heartening to note that a Pak- China Centre of Excellence is going to be established in Multan with close coordination of Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) to formulate a holistic strategy for the said purpose. Bakhtiar also apprised the Chinese Ambassador regarding the ongoing threat posed by locust and efforts to contain the menace.
