Pakistan and China’s private sector entities have signed 78 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth $4.5 billion following the conclusion of the Pak-China Agriculture Investment Conference, formally elevating agriculture as a priority sector under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Briefing the media in Islamabad on Tuesday, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said the agreements were aimed at increasing bilateral agricultural trade, expanding investment in priority sub-sectors, modernizing production and processing systems, and establishing long-term commercial partnerships between private enterprises of the two countries.
According to official details, cooperation spans 10 priority areas, including Agri-chemicals and inputs, Agri-machinery, food processing and value addition, meat and poultry, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, animal feed, fisheries and aquaculture, cold chain systems, and food-grade packaging and equipment.
Specific areas of collaboration include seed production technology, construction of grain storage facilities, improvement of milk processing machinery, poultry technology, renewable irrigation systems, fish and shrimp feed technology, fruit and rice value addition, citrus and mango varietal exchange, meat processing, and packaging solutions. Cooperation also covers exports of heat-treated beef and offal, dairy products such as UHT milk and milk powder, and processed fruit products.
Of the total agreements signed, 37 were business-to-business investment MoUs, 24 were joint ventures, and 14 were partnership agreements.
The minister said dedicated units were being established within the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing to ensure follow-up and implementation of the signed agreements. He added that agriculture’s inclusion under CPEC 2.0 would help strengthen Pakistan’s export capacity.
Currently, Pakistan exports agricultural products worth around $8 billion annually, and the government aims to double this figure within the next three years.
Mr. Hussain said the conference was designed as an investment-focused platform rather than a consultative forum, with emphasis on direct private sector engagement, investment matchmaking, and facilitation aligned with national priorities for agricultural modernization and export-led growth.
A total of 116 Chinese companies and 165 Pakistani companies participated in the event, enabling structured business-to-business interactions between shortlisted firms. Pakistan also presented investable projects, value chains, and recent policy reforms. Officials noted that a protocol for milk products with China has already been signed.
Documents shared during the conference indicated that the ministry plans to sign more than 25 sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and export protocols with key partners, including China, during 2026. The government also plans to introduce a new seed policy and a national agricultural biotechnology policy, including pathways for genetically modified seeds.
Participants were informed that Pakistan’s annual fruit production exceeds 10 million tons, while vegetable output stands at over 9 million tons. With population growth, domestic demand for agricultural produce is increasing at more than five per cent annually.