Chinese agricultural technology transferred to Pakistan has helped increase the income of Pakistani farmers and improve agricultural productivity, according to Pakistan’s Consul General in Chengdu, Tanvir A. Bhatti. Speaking at an international agriculture event in China, Bhatti highlighted examples of technology cooperation that have resulted in higher returns for farmers and strengthened links between Pakistan’s agricultural sector and Chinese processing and consumer markets.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 12th Chengdu International Urban Modern Agriculture Expo and the Chengdu Modern Urban Agriculture Investment Promotion Conference, Bhatti said hybrid chili varieties and drying equipment developed in Sichuan had helped Pakistani farmers increase their income from less than $300 per acre to $900 per acre. The figures represent a threefold increase in income for farmers benefiting from the agricultural technology and were presented as an example of how technology transfer can influence agricultural earnings.
Bhatti said the technology cooperation had also connected Pakistan more directly with China’s processing industry chain. The development of hybrid chili varieties, combined with drying equipment, has enabled farmers to improve the value generated from agricultural production while establishing a connection with downstream processing activities in China. He described the cooperation as an example of agricultural technology transfer contributing to poverty reduction through improvements in farm-level income.
The Pakistani diplomat also highlighted the contribution of Chinese hybrid rice technology to agricultural production in Pakistan. Hybrid rice technology has been used by rice growers to support higher grain output, adding another area of cooperation between the two countries’ agricultural sectors. The use of Chinese-developed agricultural applications by rice growers in Punjab was cited as an example of how agricultural cooperation is reaching farmers directly rather than remaining limited to institutional or commercial arrangements.
The agricultural cooperation has taken place alongside an increase in bilateral trade involving several agricultural commodities. According to China Economic Net (CEN), as reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Pakistan’s rice exports to China increased by more than 200% year-on-year during the first seven months of 2026. Sesame exports also increased by 72% during the same period, indicating stronger trade activity in agricultural products between the two countries.
Bhatti said the significance of agricultural cooperation between Pakistan and China extends beyond increases in trade volumes. He pointed to the effects on farmers and consumers in both countries, highlighting the movement of Pakistani agricultural products into Chinese markets and the use of Chinese agricultural technology in Pakistan. Pakistani mangoes reaching consumers in Chengdu were cited as one example of the direct commercial connection created through bilateral agricultural cooperation.
The use of Chinese technology by Pakistani farmers has also created links between agricultural production and processing activities. The example of hybrid chili varieties and drying equipment from Sichuan demonstrates how technology can be introduced at the production stage while connecting farmers with broader processing chains. For Pakistan’s agriculture sector, such cooperation can involve technology, equipment, production methods and access to markets as part of a wider cross-border agricultural relationship.
Rice and sesame trade provides another dimension to the cooperation. The reported increase in rice exports to China during the first seven months of 2026 comes alongside the adoption of Chinese agricultural technologies by Pakistani growers. Meanwhile, the rise in sesame exports reflects growing trade in another agricultural commodity between the two markets.
The examples highlighted by Bhatti demonstrate the range of agricultural cooperation between Pakistan and China, from farm technologies and crop productivity to processing and international trade. Hybrid chili and rice technologies, agricultural applications used by growers in Punjab, Pakistani mangoes reaching Chengdu consumers and increased exports of rice and sesame all form part of the broader agricultural relationship between the two countries.
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