ECC Asks Where China-Trained Agri Experts Are Placed
Pakistan’s economic managers have asked where 885 China-trained agri experts are now working, and directed the food ministry to share their placement status. The Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet gave the direction during a recent meeting in Islamabad, after the minister for power asked about the group during discussions.
The committee wants to judge the impact of the training. The 885 professionals completed advanced training in China under a prime minister’s initiative to train 1,000 agricultural professionals, and the committee asked the food security and education ministries to report back on where they are placed.
That question goes to the heart of the programme. Training alone does not change farming. Its value depends on whether returning professionals work in research institutes, universities, extension services, seed companies or farm businesses, and whether their knowledge reaches farmers.
How the programme reached 885 trainees
The programme began during the prime minister’s visit to China in June 2024, when he said 1,000 Pakistani agricultural professionals should be trained in China to benefit from its expertise in agricultural technology, innovation and research. The Ministry of Food Security developed a training framework, while the Higher Education Commission took charge of logistical and financial management.
In its meeting on 28 November 2024, the Economic Coordination Committee approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs3,072 million for the programme, to be run in batches. Of that total, Rs1,950 million was released during fiscal year 2024-25.
The Higher Education Commission arranged training for 292 professionals under batch one. Batch two could not be undertaken within the set timeframe, so Rs1,406 million remained unutilised, while Rs544 million was surrendered.
During fiscal year 2025-26, the commission placed a further 593 trainees in two batches. That brought the total number of trained agricultural professionals to 885. The remaining 115 trainees, who hold Sindh domicile, met the prescribed requirements and were registered at Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University in Xian, China. Their departure under cohort one, batch three was scheduled for the last week of September 2026, which would complete the target of 1,000 trainees.
A new grant, and money already spent
On 8 August 2025, a meeting with the Finance Division agreed in principle that an immediate requirement of Rs1,666 million would be met from the commission’s fiscal year 2025-26 allocation under the Promotion of Research programme, to be recovered later through a supplementary grant. The committed grant could not be released during fiscal year 2026. In the meantime, the commission spent Rs897.187 million from its own resources. The education ministry said timely release was essential to keep the programme running and to recover that amount.
The committee considered a summary dated 16 September 2026, submitted by the Ministry of Federal Education, titled Technical Supplementary Grant of Rs1,666.176 million for the Prime Minister’s Initiative on Short Term Training of three to six months for 1,000 Agricultural Professionals in China. It approved the proposal.
What the returned China-trained agri experts have done so far
The placement question the committee raised already has a partial answer from outside the meeting room. A report in late October 2026, based on a China Economic Net account of an agricultural science and technology exchange event in Yangling, China, found that the 885 professionals who had completed training and returned to Pakistan had helped establish 15 startups and train more than 50,000 farmers and other agricultural professionals.
The same report said the training covered nine priority areas, identified with agricultural universities, experts and government departments. These included farm mechanisation, crop speed breeding, drones, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence in farming, seed production and processing, livestock disease surveillance, livestock breeding and genomics, aquaculture, high-efficiency irrigation and water management, and fruit and vegetable processing.
The Higher Education Commission had earlier described the returning group as master trainers, tasked with passing on modern methods to colleagues, students and farmers. A group of 107 professionals from the third batch was still studying at Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University in late October, according to that report, which fits with the committee’s account of the remaining Sindh cohort.
The training push comes as imported wheat failed to cut flour prices and fertiliser curbs hit sowing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while BISP launched free skills training with a stipend and the PSX gained 1,300 points.
Frequently asked questions
How many China-trained agri experts are there?
A total of 885 agricultural professionals have completed training in China, with a further 115 Sindh-domiciled trainees registered for departure in late September 2026, which would complete the target of 1,000.
Why did the ECC ask about their placement?
The committee wants to gauge the impact of the training, and asked the food ministry and the education ministry to share the placement status of the 885 trained professionals.
How much funding did the ECC approve?
The committee approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs1,666.176 million for the short-term training programme for 1,000 agricultural professionals in China.
What have the returned trainees done so far?
A late October 2026 report found the 885 returned trainees had helped establish 15 startups and train more than 50,000 farmers and other agricultural professionals.
Which subjects did the training cover?
Nine priority areas, including farm mechanisation, crop speed breeding, drones and artificial intelligence in farming, seed production, livestock health and genomics, aquaculture, water management and fruit and vegetable processing.
