June 22, 2010

Pakistan, US agree on agriculture collaboration

Pakistani and the US officials recently agreed to strengthen collaborative research and to broaden private sector support for economic growth in the agriculture sector, a joint statement said.

Both sides agreed on cooperation during the third meeting of the Strategic Dialogue on Agriculture under the Pakistan - US Strategic Dialogue framework.

It was agreed that both sides would continue to work together to modernise Pakistan's agricultural sector to ensure adequate supply of food items, foster faster economic growth, alleviate poverty and enhance rural employment, it said.

Areas identified for future cooperation include crop productivity enhancement, particularly, in wheat and cotton, animal and plant diseases, dairy development, horticulture, market access for Pakistani products including mangoes and various other areas of research development and extension and water management.

The last meeting of the Agriculture Track was held in Washington in March 2010, after agriculture was added as a separate track in the second round of Strategic Dialogue in 2007. Since then, two meetings of the track have been held so far.

The statement said the US and Pakistan have a long history of bilateral cooperation in Agriculture. "This has enabled Pakistan to successfully address its food security issues for nearly three decades through the green revolution. Establishment of Agriculture Universities, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and training of Pakistani agricultural scientists in the US are examples of the long-standing cooperation between the two countries," it added.