A delegation of leading Chinese agricultural machinery manufacturers visited Agriculture House in Lahore and met with Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani and Secretary Agriculture Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahu to discuss setting up local manufacturing plants. The talks focused on producing modern agricultural machinery in Punjab to support local needs and expand the agri-industry.
The minister said the provincial government, following the Chief Minister’s vision, is taking practical steps to accelerate farm mechanization and will offer special incentives and facilities to Chinese companies willing to invest. He highlighted Punjab’s dominant role in national food production, noting the province contributes around 70 percent to Pakistan’s agriculture and that Rs 35 billion has been allocated to agricultural mechanization in the past two years.
Punjab is already providing modern farm machinery to farmers under a subsidy programme, with up to 60 percent support on selected equipment, an approach officials said will be expanded alongside new manufacturing capacity. Local production, they added, would help align machines with farmers’ purchasing power and regional cropping needs, making farm mechanization more accessible across the province.
Secretary Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahu described China as a global leader in modern agricultural technology and said there is vast potential for an agriculture-related industry in Punjab. He confirmed that memorandums of understanding with Chinese firms are in the final stages and that collaboration could fast-track technology transfer and local job creation.
The Chinese delegation expressed keen interest in establishing state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in Punjab and noted their equipment is already exported to 25 countries. Company representatives emphasised plans to adapt designs for the Pakistani market so that locally produced machines meet both technical requirements and farmers’ budgets, which would support long-term farm mechanization goals in the province.
