Islamabad (TDI): A new batch of one hundred Pakistani agricultural graduates left for China to for a six-month training in crop breeding and genomics at the Southwest University of Science and Technology (SWUST) in Sichuan province.
This is part of a broader program to train 1,000 Pakistani professionals in agricultural techniques and technology to enhance food security and rural livelihoods in the country.
The project is being executed jointly by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR), the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Pakistan’s Embassy in Beijing.
The second batch of Pakistani agricultural graduates have departed for the Southwest University of Science and Technology in China. They will attend a six-month advanced training in crop breeding and genomics there. May their learning journey bear bountiful fruits! pic.twitter.com/eX0dcd9E5d
— Chinese Emb Pakistan (@CathayPak) July 24, 2025
This is the second batch to benefit from the training program. Earlier this year, 292 Pakistani trainees went for a three-month training in Shaanxi province of China. The group is expected to arrive back in Pakistan on July 21.
Authorities say the program aims to close the gap between conventional agricultural methods and modern agricultural technologies, with a particular focus on high-yield and climate-resilient crops, a field where China has made significant advances.
“This project brings people together,” said a Pakistani embassy spokesperson in Beijing. “It represents a shared commitment to sustainable agriculture and scientific cooperation.”
Agriculture accounts for nearly 23% of Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product and employs more than 37% of its workforce. The sector, however, has suffered from outdated methods, water shortages, and the growing impacts of climate change for the past few years.
The training course is being launched as part of broader efforts by Islamabad and Beijing to strengthen their relations under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with agriculture being a priority sector.
Joint ventures between the two countries are already underway in hybrid seed production, pest management, precision agriculture, and farm machinery.
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