Pakistan, Egypt agree to boost agricultural cooperation, focus on cotton

Pakistan and Egypt have pledged to expand farm collaboration, covering food security and new agricultural methods, with cotton yields and fibre quality singled out for attention. According to the food security ministry, the accord was reached on Monday in Islamabad during talks between Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and Egypt's Ambassador, Dr Ihab Mohamed Abdelhamid Hassan.

Rana Tanveer Hussain asked Egypt for technical help in raising cotton production and improving quality, pointing to Egyptian expertise in crop varieties, seed quality, crop husbandry and processing as potentially valuable to Pakistan's cotton industry. He also suggested stronger ties between research bodies in both countries, including expert exchanges, joint trials, training and the sharing of good practice.

Water-saving irrigation, seed breeding, biotechnology, climate-smart farming, mechanisation, livestock and horticulture were also on the agenda. The ambassador said relevant Egyptian bodies would be urged to pursue shared interests, and both governments agreed to keep coordinating and to identify practical projects aimed at farmers and food security.