On March 18, agriculture experts from China and Pakistan spoke at the China-Pakistan Seed Industry Cooperation and Exchange Forum, where they shared ideas on how to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the seed industry. China used to have a massive seed shortage, with over 90% of cotton seeds coming from other countries. China has transformed itself from a major seed importer to a seed breeding powerhouse thanks to the enactment of the Seed Law in 1999 and its updated version in 2016, which led to an increasing attention to seed security and seed investments. Chinese seed technology adhere to professional and ethical standards, placing a premium on quality and keeping promises. Both parties have adhered to the principles of security and mutual benefit. It is on this foundation that Pakistani and Chinese agricultural industries have kept close ties, says Dr Zhang Shengquan of the Beijing academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences. Pakistan’s agriculture is becoming a land of opportunities for Chinese investors, thanks to the advancement of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the development of the China-Pakistan Agricultural and Industrial Cooperation Information Platform. Because of the increased use of artificial intelligence, 25 to 50 percent of farmers are implementing or planning to implement precision farming to increase crop yields. Plant Genomics is improving crop nutrition by fine-tuning their genetics.
