ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, has shown appreciation for a plan by the Chinese agricultural technology firm FAMSUN, aimed at revamping the grain storage mechanism of Pakistan, which he says is an effort to improve food security in the country, as well as bringing advanced technology to the agricultural sector. This follows a time where Pakistan has been losing considerable amounts of stored wheat and other crops due to obsolete mechanisms.

During a meeting with the delegation headed by the CEO of FAMSUN Company, Mr. Jack Chen, the prime minister mentioned that the cooperation with Chinese firms would be crucial in bringing about reforms to the grain storage system of Pakistan through technology transfer and skills training. The prime minister added that there is already a strategic partnership between Pakistan and China, but now with more collaboration in the business arena, the economic relationship would become stronger between the two countries.

Plan of FAMSUN for Green Silo Technology

FAMSUN has offered a proposal that involves transforming the current grain storage facilities in Pakistan into sophisticated silo systems, which would be constructed using the latest storage technology. According to the briefing given at the meeting, the company also wants to set up a demonstration center in Pakistan to introduce green silo technology. The center will be used to demonstrate to locals how the new grain storage system will work in practice.

The nation suffers from substantial loss of wheat and other grains that are stored in old storage facilities, which are vulnerable to attacks from pests, moisture, and inefficient management practices. According to the officials, the modernized Pakistan grain storage system will be instrumental in decreasing the post-harvest loss and improving grain storage, which would eventually enhance food security for the country. Agricultural specialists have always highlighted inadequate grain storage as one of the major unnoticed causes of food shortage in Pakistan.

FAMSUN will continue to assist Pakistan in their efforts, using modern storage facilities, transferring of technology and offering organized training programs, as stated by Jack Chen. It is clear that there have been increasing discussions about the Pakistan grain storage system after the visit of the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif to China, according to Jack Chen.

It was also brought to the notice of the meeting that a memorandum of understanding had been signed between FAMSUN and the Green Pakistan Initiative to cooperate in the field of agriculture and food security. The presence of an already existing agreement lends additional weight to the proposed grain storage system of Pakistan.

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Some of the key participants included the National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, the Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Kayani, and the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries Haroon Akhtar, among others. It is evident that this initiative has been accorded a high level of importance at the federal level of government.

FAMSUN is one of the best companies in China dealing in agricultural engineering, grain storage, livestock feed and food processing equipment. The establishment of FAMSUN in Pakistan is in line with the strategy employed by Islamabad to entice more investment from the Chinese in agriculture, mechanization, food processing and post-harvest facilities. If the proposed Pakistan grain storage system goes beyond the agreement stage, then the fruits will be felt in terms of food security.