Govt sets five-year plan to boost agricultural exports

January 06, 2026 (MLN): The government has initiated work on a comprehensive five-year roadmap aimed at boosting agricultural exports, as part of broader efforts to reform and modernize the sector.

The direction was given during a meeting of the Working Group on Agriculture Reforms held in Islamabad, where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized that transforming agriculture and aligning farming practices with international standards remains a top national priority.

The prime minister highlighted that both the federal and provincial governments are jointly pursuing measures to strengthen agriculture, while reforms are being implemented within their respective jurisdictions.

He said focused steps are underway to ensure the availability of certified seeds, timely supply of fertilizers at affordable rates, and effective medicines to protect crops from diseases, all with the objective of improving per-acre yield.

Policy-level initiatives are also being pursued to enhance value addition, with an emphasis on processing agricultural commodities to produce export-quality products, according to Radio Pakistan. 

The prime minister stressed that improving processing capacity is essential to increasing Pakistan’s competitiveness in global agricultural markets.

He noted that human resource development is being prioritized, citing the recent government-sponsored training of one thousand Pakistani students in China in advanced agricultural technologies.

This exposure will help transfer modern techniques and innovation to the local farming sector.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s agriculture sector holds significant untapped potential and that investments in agricultural research are being made to raise productivity despite resource constraints.

He added that special attention is being given to expanding exports of fisheries, fruits, and value-added products derived from them.

The prime minister further emphasized the need to formulate targeted policies for palm oil cultivation along the coastal belt.

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