Foreign Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the announcement during a visit to the Yangling Agricultural Demonstration Base in Xi'an city after completing a five-day official visit to China.
 "Pakistan PM Sharif sends 1,000 students to China for agricultural training")
Pakistan is working to modernize its agriculture sector to increase yields per acre of crops. (Main photo) Press Trust of India Islamabad
According to media reports on Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that 1,000 Pakistani students would be sent to China for advanced training in the agricultural sector in a bid to boost production.
The prime minister made the announcement on Saturday during a visit to the Yangling Agricultural Demonstration Base in Xi'an city after wrapping up a five-day official visit to China, Pakistan Radio reported.
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The 72-year-old also invited China's Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University to set up a campus in Pakistan. According to a Geo News report, he instructed the Pakistani ambassador to China and relevant officials to finalize coordination with Chinese authorities in this regard.
According to reports, the prime minister toured various parts of the facility and viewed Pakistani products at the Pakistan Pavilion. PM Sharif also visited a modern plant production factory and oversaw a demonstration of vertical farming.
Pakistan is working to modernise its agriculture sector to increase yield per acre of crops. Increasing agricultural exports is one of our top priorities, Sharif told the Chinese officials.
The Prime Minister was also briefed about the activities of the Yangling Base and was informed that 26 countries are collaborating in agricultural research at the base and Pakistan is the first participating country, Geo News reported.
Sharif later returned to India accompanied by a high-level delegation.
During his five-day official visit, Sharif met Chinese President Xi Jinping and agreed to upgrade the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and promote quality development of the multi-billion dollar project in its second phase.
The two leaders held in-depth discussions at Beijing's historic Great Hall of the People on Friday.
The two leaders were accompanied by ministers and senior officials. The meeting was the first between Sharif and Xi Jinping since he took office in 2024.
According to state media, the two leaders agreed to move forward with upgrading CPEC and developing mega projects in its second phase.
CPEC, which links the port of Gwadar in Pakistan's Balochistan province with China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is the flagship project of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
The BRI is seen as an attempt by China to expand its influence overseas through infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investment around the world.
China has also invested billions of dollars in various power projects and road networks in Pakistan under the $65 billion CPEC programme, but implementation of various projects has slowed down in recent months.
