Roundup: China's agricultural equipment sows seeds of prosperity in Pakistan: minister
Under the grant, China has provided Pakistan with 278 sets of agricultural machinery and equipment, including tractors, seeders, combine harvesters, photovoltaic water pump systems, among others, representing one of the largest China-aided agricultural equipment projects to Pakistan in recent years.
Addressing the handing over ceremony of the equipment to the representatives of the provincial government, Hussain said that the lack of modern farm machinery is one of the primary constraints of low crop yields in Pakistan, and this "invaluable support" will significantly enhance the capacity of the research institutions of the country.
"It will enable us to modernize our agriculture practices, improve crop yields, and address current challenges to our food security, such as water scarcity and climate change," he added.
Speaking at the event, Federal Secretary of the Ministry Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry said that the support and cooperation coming from China is critical, not only for boosting and stabilizing agricultural exports and the economy, but also for promoting social harmony.
Private sectors will also be included to bring these machines to the farms, ensuring that they are not just tested in the controlled environments of research institutes but under real farming conditions, he added.
Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, who also attended the event, said that China and Pakistan are both traditional agricultural countries that need to maintain food security and improve their people's lives.
"The United States' arbitrary imposition of additional tariffs on over 180 countries has severely infringed upon the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, severely undermined the multilateral trading system, and severely disrupted the global economic order," Jiang said.
China is willing to jointly resist unilateralism and tariff bullying with the Pakistani side to safeguard the common interests of both sides and international justice, he added.
Following the event, the machinery was displayed to the public, agricultural experts, engineers, and students, who showed significant interest.
Talking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the event, Kamran Bilal, a student from a nearby agricultural university, said the machines will transform Pakistan's agricultural sector.
"They will help us improve yields, save time, and better manage resources, which are critical for our country's agricultural growth," he said.
Launched in 2013, CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking Gwadar Port in Pakistan with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while expanding to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others, in the new phase.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
France fines Shein 40 mn euros over ‘deceptive' sales practices
PARIS: France announced Thursday a record 40 million-euro fine against e-commerce giant Shein over 'deceptive commercial practices' after a competition inquiry, saying it misled customers on price deals and on its environmental impact. The French competition and anti-fraud office said the investigation found Shein used 'deceptive commercial practices towards consumers regarding... price reductions', with the fine handed down with the blessing of the Paris prosecutor's office. The DGCCRF competition office said the nearly year-long probe found that the firm raised certain prices before lowering them. It added that the China-founded retailer had accepted the fine. 'These practices of greatly discounted prices and permanent promotions give consumers the impression they're getting a great deal,' said the DGCCRF. If found that 11 percent of advertised discounts it checked 'were actually price increases'. In 57 percent of cases Shein's advertised promotions actually offered 'no price reduction' and in 19 percent of cases the price drop 'less significant than announced'. Launched in France in 2015, Shein has seen phenomenal growth in recent years and took its share in the domestic clothing and footwear last year to three percent from two in 2021 -- a significant slice in what is a notably fragmented market. The company, which has become a figurehead for the downside of 'ultrafast fashion,' is decried in some quarters for causing environmental pollution as well as indulging in unfair competition and allowing poor working conditions. In a statement to AFP, Shein said it had put into action 'without delay' necessary corrective action inside two months on learning of the DGCCRF probe against in March of last year. It added it took its legal and regulatory obligations in France 'very seriously'and was committed to transparency. – AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Colombian foreign minister resigns amid passport printing row
FILE PHOTO: Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia attends a press conference for a ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in Beijing, China May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombia's Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia announced her resignation on Thursday, as President Gustavo Petro's government faces turbulence over an administrative dispute involving the printing of national passports. Sarabia had expressed dissatisfaction with the government's decision to alter a previous passport printing agreement. "In the last few days, decisions have been made that I do not agree with," Sarabia wrote in a post on X, adding that she had decided to resign out of "personal coherence and institutional respect." Sarabia, who had previously served as Petro's chief of staff, was named the South American country's top diplomat by the leftist president in January. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Gabriel Araujo)
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
In contested Kashmir, Hindus begin month-long pilgrimage to cave shrine under heavy guard
PAHALGAM (India), July 3 — Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in contested Indian Kashmir today, with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan. Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam. Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad rejected — triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict. It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a May 10 ceasefire. But pilgrim Muneshwar Das Shashtri, who travelled from Uttar Pradesh state, told AFP 'there is no fear of any kind'. 'Our army is standing guard everywhere. No one can raise a finger towards us,' he said. Indian security personnel patrol near a base camp in Baltal on July 2, 2025, ahead of Amarnath Yatra, the annual Hindu pilgrimage. — AFP pic India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the gruelling trek to reach the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction Shiva. 'We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,' said VK Birdi, police chief for the Muslim-majority territory. 'Not afraid' At Pahalgam, soldiers have turned a tented base camp into a fortress encircled by razor wire. Troops in newly deployed armoured cars, or from gun positions behind sandbags, keep a close watch — efforts boosted by facial recognition cameras. 'High-quality surveillance cameras have been installed at all major points along the route,' said Manoj Sinha, the Indian-appointed top administrator for Jammu and Kashmir. All pilgrims must be registered and travel in guarded vehicle convoys, until they start out to walk. Camouflaged bunkers have been erected in the forests along the route, where dozens of makeshift kitchens provide free food. Electronic radio cards pinpoint their location. Pilgrims can take several days to reach the cave, perched at 3,900 metres high, around 30 kilometres uphill from the last easily motorable track. 'Whatever the attack that was carried out here, I am not afraid. I have come to get a glimpse of baba (the ice formation),' said Ujwal Yadav, 29, from India's Uttar Pradesh state, undertaking his first pilgrimage to the shrine. 'Such are the security arrangements here that no one can be hurt.' Security personnel stand guard on the top of a mountain ahead of the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath at Chandanwari, about 115 km southeast of Srinagar, on June 26, 2025. — AFP pic Sinha has said that 'public confidence is returning', but admits that pilgrim registration had dipped by 10 per cent this year. Once a modest, little-known ritual, attended by only a few thousand mainly local devotees, the pilgrimage has grown since an armed insurgency erupted in 1989. India's government has since heavily promoted the annual event, which runs until August 9. Rebels fighting against India's control of Kashmir have said the pilgrimage is not a target, but have warned they would act if it was used to assert Hindu dominance. In 2017, suspected rebels attacked a pilgrim bus, killing 11 people. The gunmen who carried out the April 22 killings remain at large, despite the manhunt by security forces in Kashmir where India has half a million soldiers permanently deployed. On June 22, India's National Investigation Agency said two men had been arrested from the Pahalgam area who they said had 'provided food, shelter and logistical support' to the gunmen. Indian police have issued wanted notices for three of the gunmen, two of whom they said were Pakistani citizens. — AFP
