Islamabad: Pakistan and Belarus have agreed to form a joint venture to set up a tractor manufacturing facility in Pakistan, aimed at revitalizing the local agriculture sector and enhancing productivity. The agreement includes collaboration on a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine for cattle and initiatives to improve the skills of agricultural engineers.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the consensus for this venture was achieved during a meeting between Pakistan’s Minister for National Food Security, Rana Tanveer Hussain, and Belarus’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Vadim Shagoiko, held in Islamabad. The discussion also saw participation from Belarus’s Deputy Minister of Industry, Andrei Kuznetsov.

The meeting underscored a bilateral commitment to not only enhance agricultural mechanization and livestock management but also to foster greater market access for agricultural and livestock products between the two nations. Minister Hussain elaborated on a comprehensive plan focusing on cooperation in the livestock and seed sectors as well as on the mechanization of agriculture.

Further, the Belarusian Deputy Minister expressed interest in establishing a veterinary medicine plant in Pakistan, with Minister Hussain affirming Pakistan’s support for such investments. The ministers also discussed the potential for Pakistani fruits to gain entry into the Belarusian market, highlighting a mutual interest in expanding trade relations in agricultural commodities.

This collaboration marks a significant step towards strengthening economic ties between Pakistan and Belarus, with potential benefits for agricultural productivity and animal health advancements in Pakistan.