Pakistan and Argentine have agreed in principle to set up joint ventures for the development of livestock sector, sources in Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) told Business Recorder.
This was decided in a meeting between Caretaker Minister for Minfal, Prince Muhammad Esa Jan Baloch and Argentinian Ambassador Rodolfo Martin Saravia here on Thursday in the former's office, they added.
They said Argentine will also provide short term training to the Pakistani experts in the field of meat production and processing including ailments diagnostic techniques and quality control of the meat.
Research collaboration between the research institutes of both the countries in the area of semen production for getting healthy animals, and vaccine production to control ailments will also be launched, they maintained.
They said Argentinean Ambassador also offered to set up cooling plants for milk and meat processing through private sector in Pakistan and subsequently train the Pakistani manpower to operate and maintain the plants.
They said Pakistan also sought Argentine's help to improve its local oilseeds sector through exchange of experts on oilseeds, especially plant breeders, entomologists and agronomists, which will help enhance their skills and knowledge for development of new hybrids/varieties and appropriate production technologies for oilseeds crops in the country.
They said keeping in view the potential and increase in the area under sunflower, it is expected that Pakistan will be a big market for growing seed industry in the near future. We have potential to grow sunflower on 2.5 million acres. Pakistan needs high yielding hybrids of sunflower to meet its rapid increase in demand.
Prices of hybrids marketed by the multinational seed companies are very high and lot of foreign exchange is being spent on their imports. At present the prices of good hybrid seed is Rs 480 per kg. It is beyond the paying capacity of an average farmer, they informed.
They said local development of hybrids will not only save foreign exchange but high yielding sowing seed would be available to farmers at lower prices. Facilities set up in Pakistan will also feed the region. They said Northern Areas are suitable for soybean cultivation. However, due to lack of high yielding varieties, its cultivation could not get due attention in these areas. Its cultivation can be improved if Argentine provides high yielding varieties/hybrids of soybean and exchange germplasm for development of soybean varieties locally.