In a major push toward climate-resilient and technology-driven farming, Pakistan has received 258 advanced agricultural machines and specialized irrigation systems from China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agricultural cooperation framework.
The initiative aligns with the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Modernization Initiative and is supported by the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy 2026 and the National Seed Policy 2026 to boost national farm productivity, value addition, and export competitiveness.
Key Highlights of the Machinery Transfer
- Assembled & Distributed: The machinery was received and assembled by the Agricultural Engineering Institute of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, for nationwide demonstration and adoption.
- Nine Equipment Categories: The fleet includes 40 tractors, 40 crawler-type rice-wheat combine harvesters, 8 corn harvesters, 40 inter-tillage weeders, 40 trimmers, 30 rotary tillage fertilizer drills, 20 rotary tillers, 20 hose-reel irrigation systems, and 20 photovoltaic (solar-powered) water-pumping systems.
- Provincial Allocation:
- Punjab: 75 units
- PARC: 64 units
- Sindh: 45 units
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 38 units
- Balochistan: 36 units
Institutional Reform and Capacity Building
Beyond machinery delivery, the bilateral cooperation encompasses sweeping institutional and human-capital developments:
- PARC Restructuring on CAAS Model: Following federal approval in March 2026, PARC is being restructured in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). The plan establishes five specialized Centres of Excellence at NARC, spanning crop genomics, livestock genetic health, climate-smart resource solutions, AI in agri-food systems, and food processing value addition.
- Hub for Digital Agriculture & Robotics: A dedicated Centre of Excellence for Advanced Agricultural Mechanization and Digital Agriculture will focus on precision farming, agricultural drones, robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
- Training 1,000 Agri-Graduates: Under the Prime Minister’s training initiative in China, 885 of 1,000 Pakistani agricultural graduates have already completed specialized training across nine high-priority domains—including drone tech, high-efficiency irrigation, seed production, and disease surveillance—with the final 115 trainees set to depart shortly to serve as national master trainers.
