The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has said agricultural zones along CPEC route from Khunjrab to Gwadar can help Pakistan produce products that can be exported to China to fetch 12 billion dollars annually. "China is importing agricultural products worth 111 billion dollars annually including $25 billion soybean oil and by-products in which Pakistan can get a reasonable share, Atif Ikram Sheikh, Chairman FPCCI Regional Committee on Industries told Business Recorder on Sunday.
All the provinces should consider establishing agro-economic zones along CPEC route to produce high-value agricultural products that can be exported to China while Chinese investors can also be lured into it. Peanuts, grapes, olive, citrus, mango, tomato, guava, strawberry, potato are some of the items which are in great demand in China.
Atif Ikram Sheikh said that funds should be allocated for the purpose while guidance should be sought from the province of Punjab which is best suited for it. He said such zones should become successful if provision of ample water through harvesting rainfall and other resources is ensured. Moreover, provision of quality seeds, pesticides, urea etc. should also be guaranteed.
Proper cold storage and warehousing facilities, olive oil extraction and solar dehydration of vegetables should also be promoted. He said that overall agricultural system should be modernised so that the country can start exports which can jump to fifteen billion dollars in a few years. At the time of partition share of agriculture in the GDP was 51 percent which has now reduced to 21 percent while the population has jumped from 32 million to around 200 million, he observed.