ISLAMABAD: Agriculture experts have urged the government to encourage entrepreneurship along the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor for development of horticulture and related sectors, starting from Gilgit-Baltistan to Gwadar.

This would promote agriculture as well as generate employment opportunities, they said.

Since the economic corridor was on the cards, the government should gear up to fully exploit the potential of agricultural sector along the vast corridor, they added.

These views were expressed by the experts during a visit of the members of National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security to the National Agricultural Research Centre here on Thursday.

Despite low spending on agriculture, the sector was producing promising results, they said.

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Chairman Dr Iftikhar Ahmad informed legislators that the PARC was running a considerable number of projects with foreign financing. However, increased funding by the federal government to projects aimed at further developing agriculture should be forthcoming.

Fisheries and cotton sectors which usually belong to the ministry of agriculture, have been put wrongly under the control of ministries of ports and shipping and textiles, he said.

Speaking about the potential of horticulture, Dr Iftikhar said that Balochistan has no match in this sector.

Chairman of the NA standing committee, Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, assured the PARC management that in its capacity, the committee would make all-out efforts to support the research body for development of agriculture sector.

He urged the PARC scientists to pass on results of their research to farmers at their doorstep while the present government would ensure provision of funds for research activities.