03 March 2005	Thursday	21 Muharram 1426

ISLAMABAD, March 2: China and Pakistan will exchange experts in order to benefit from each other's experiences in the field of agriculture.

This decision was taken in a meeting between a high-level Chinese delegation, led by Deputy Director of Ministry of Agriculture Wang Xinwu, and Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Sikandar Hayat Bosan, here on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the delegation informed the minister that the Chinese prime minister would visit Pakistan in April to give a new dimension to the friendly relations between the two countries.

The two sides also discussed three MoUs on export of citrus and rice to China, export of livestock from China to the Middle East through Pakistan and transit facilities.

The food and agriculture minister informed the delegation that Pakistan had abundant production of cotton and rice this year. Kino is already being exported to Middle East, Far East and other countries in large quantity, he added. "We want to improve exports and imports with China to meet WTO challenges," the minister said.

It was decided in the meeting that one of the three teams of Chinese agriculture experts would visit Sargodha to see processing and packing units of Kino. The second one will leave for Lahore and Karachi to visit rice processing units, and the third team will discuss livestock- related trade issues with the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock.

Additional Secretary Mumtaz Ahmed and other high officials of the ministry were also present during the meeting. Meanwhile, speaking at the 'National seminar on streamlining production and export of cut flowers and house plants' at NARC, Mr Bosan said the government was fully alive to the importance of horticulture.

The government has taken adequate measures to boost production of quality horticultural produce to meet country's needs, besides having substantial exportable surplus, he added.

The minister said in addition to enjoying opportunities under the WTO regime, developing countries would face challenges to assure quality of graded and branded commodities at competitive prices, and strictly adhering to phyto sanitary restrictions. He said vast opportunities existed in Pakistan which needed to be availed.