China donates livestock vaccines for CPEC 2.0

Addressing a ceremony where vaccines were handed over at the National Agricultural Research Center, Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain urged scientists to devise targeted, inventive projects under the second phase of CPEC 2.0. According to The Express Tribune, he said farming will play a central role in the initiative, which seeks to raise productivity and modernise the sector. He added that livestock makes up 60 per cent of Pakistan's agricultural economy and remains crucial for rural incomes and food security.

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs supplied veterinary shots targeting lumpy skin disease and brucellosis, illnesses that Hussain said endanger animal health, breeding and milk output. He cautioned that these diseases impose heavy financial losses on smallholder farmers. Hussain thanked the Chinese government and the ministry for the gift.

Hussain also noted that 1,000 Pakistani students have returned after gaining practical training in China and are being absorbed into farming sectors, while a further 1,000 are set to travel, with the process to finish by March. Following the prime minister's instructions, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has been asked to advise on modernising research bodies such as PARC, with work expected to start in two to three months.