BEIJING, Nov 18: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is heading a delegation on a visit to China, said here on Tuesday that his government wanted to introduce the drip irrigation technology to bring large desert areas under cultivation.

Talking to a delegation headed by the director general of the National Centre for Efficient Irrigation Engineering and Technology Research, Mr Huang Yaoxin, Mr Sharif said he planned to bring a large part of desert areas in Cholistan and Bahawalpur under cultivation by introducing drip irrigation. Mr Yaoxin informed him that the system was working successfully in his country.

Mr Sharif invited a delegation of the company to Punjab to explore the possibility of implementing the project on fast track.

Mr Yaoxin informed the chief minister that the drip irrigation system was suitable for growing cotton, fruit, wheat and other crops.

He said that in Xinjiang over one million hectares of land was being cultivated using this system.

During a meeting with the president of the China State Construction and Engineering group, Mr Sharif sought CSCE’s help in implementing projects including Rawalpindi Expressway, housing schemes, Lahore Mass Transit System and extraction of iron ore and coal from newly discovered sites in Punjab.

Later, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation was signed with the company.

Another protocol was signed with the China National Chemical Engineering Group for cooperation in fertiliser, power generation, mining, infrastructure development and waste water management.

Also on Tuesday, the China Development Bank assured Mr Sharif that it would provide financial assistance in energy and other projects.

At a meeting with the Punjab Chief Minister, CDB president Chenyuan expressed interest in various projects and in the development of agriculture sector.

—APP