ISLAMABAD: Pakis­t­­an and Italy are currently working to enhance collaboration between the two countries in the agriculture sector, and are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on professional capacity building and extension in agriculture early next year.

Minister for National Food Security and Resea­rch Rana Tanveer Hus­sain held a meeting with Italian Minister of Agri­culture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida, in Rome on Thursday, and invited him to visit Pakistan early next year to sign the memorandum of understanding, which he said would help advan­­ce bilateral cooperation.

Mr Lollobrigida said he looked forward to finalising and signing the up­­coming MoU on Profes­sional Capacity Building and Extension in Agricul­ture, which aims to stren­gthen agricultural skills through technical and vocational training.

He added that the Italian Trade Agency, which opened its office in Islamabad in mid-2023, is supporting a 20 million euros project for the horticulture sector to enha­nce employment opportunities for Pakistani workers at home and abroad.

Rana Tanveer expres­sed readiness to host the Italian delegation for the sixth Joint Economic Com­mission and the second Joint Working Group under the Labour Accord, recalling that the first joint working group was held in Rome in Septem­ber this year. The two countries signed the MoU on labour in May this year, which is termed as an important step in broa­dening bilateral cooperation.

Ministers in Rome agree to finalise MoU early next year

The two ministers reviewed progress on the ongoing olive sector projects, including the Olive Culture Scale-Up Project funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). The programme follows the earlier Olive Culture Pro­ject (2022-2024) and the Promotion of Olive Culti­vation on Commer­cial Scale in Pakistan (Phase II, 2021-2026).

Mr Tanveer thanked Italy for its continued technical support and requested further cooperation in modern agricultural machinery, research, and improved techniques for olive oil extraction.

Mr Lollobrigida gave a detailed briefing on the systems used in Italy to ensure quality control across the entire olive oil production chain, and said his ministry was ready to share relevant experience with Pakistan.

He also proposed forming a joint technical group to follow up on cooperation in research, mechanisation and modern olive oil extraction, and stated that Italy would soon offer an additional memorandum of understanding on the subject.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2025