Pakistan, Egypt agree to boost agricultural cooperation, focus on cotton

Pakistan and Egypt have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in agriculture, food security and modern farming technologies, with a particular focus on improving cotton productivity and quality in Pakistan.

The understanding was reached during a meeting between Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Egyptian Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Ihab Mohamed Abdelhamid Hassan in Islamabad on Monday, his ministry said.

Rana Tanveer said Pakistan highly valued its longstanding relations with Egypt and appreciated its expertise in modern agriculture, water management, climate-resilient farming and agricultural technologies.

The minister sought Egypt’s technical support and expertise to increase cotton yields and improve quality in Pakistan, saying Egypt’s experience in cotton varieties, quality seed, crop management and value addition could significantly benefit the country’s cotton sector.

He proposed greater cooperation between agricultural research institutions of the two countries through exchange of experts, joint research and trials, capacity building and sharing of best practices.

The two sides also discussed cooperation in water-efficient irrigation, seed development, biotechnology, climate-smart agriculture, mechanisation, livestock, horticulture and agricultural research.

Rana Tanveer said the government was focused on increasing agricultural productivity, reducing production costs and improving farmers’ incomes through modern technologies, quality inputs and stronger research-extension linkages.

The Egyptian ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to strengthen agricultural cooperation with Pakistan and assured that relevant Egyptian institutions would be encouraged to explore areas of mutual interest.

Dr Hassan highlighted Egypt’s experience in cotton production, irrigation and agricultural research, particularly cultivation under water-scarce and arid conditions, and welcomed increased exchanges between experts and research institutions.

Both sides agreed to maintain close coordination and identify concrete areas of cooperation aimed at delivering practical benefits for farmers, agricultural productivity and food security in both countries.

Egypt and Pakistan have previously discussed cooperation in areas including food security, water-resource management, arid-zone farming, seed development, drip irrigation and climate-smart technologies.