January 2, 2024

China and Pakistan bolster wheat cooperation at symposium

The 2023 International Symposium of Silk Road Wheat Innovation Alliance recently convened at Northwest A&F University in Yangling, China, marking a significant milestone in fostering collaboration between China and Pakistan in the wheat industry, China Economic Net reported.

Over 160 scholars, researchers, and entrepreneurs from six countries, including China, Pakistan, and Turkey, participated in the symposium. The event served as a platform for academic exchanges on pivotal issues, encompassing innovations in wheat germplasm resources, genetic breeding research, agricultural digitalisation, mechanisation, climate change's impact on crop management, and the trends in international wheat trade.

Pakistani experts played a pivotal role in the symposium, sharing their research findings. Professor Zahid Akram, also the vice chairman of the first council of Silk Road Wheat Innovation Alliance, emphasised the vital role of wheat production in Pakistan, involving approximately 80% of farmers and occupying nearly 40% of the country's agricultural land. Expressing optimism about future collaboration, Akram highlighted the significance of the Silk Road Wheat Innovation Alliance.

Karim Bux Laghari, a researcher from the Wheat Research Institute in Sindh Province, Pakistan, presented an academic report addressing innovative solutions for future food security, focusing on collaborative approaches to wheat productivity challenges. Laghari shed light on factors limiting wheat production in Pakistan, including low yield potential, mismanagement, high temperatures, drought, and severe rust damage.

Chinese wheat experts' efforts in Pakistan received commendation, particularly for the successful demonstration of hybrid wheat fields spanning 3,000-5,000 hectares in crucial wheat-producing regions. China's achievements in hybrid wheat breeding, such as cultivating saline-tolerant varieties, laid a robust foundation for further collaboration in the wheat industry between China and Pakistan.

Post-symposium, participants visited affiliated units of the alliance, including Shaanxi Jinshahe Group, a renowned noodle manufacturer, and Yangling Smart Agriculture Park. Professor Zahid Akram praised the achievements in automated processing and efficient management of Jinshahe Group, expressing hope that the alliance's strengths would foster greater integration of industry, academia, and research, advancing the development of the wheat industry.

-      China Economic Net