China-Pakistan Scientific Partnership Blossoms In Pakistani Citrus Orchards

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2025) In the heart of Pakistan's citrus belt, a transformative collaboration between Chinese and Pakistani scientists is helping farmers break a decades-long cycle of crop loss and market rejection, offering new hope for the country's agricultural export based economy.

At the center of this change is Dr. Shaukat Ali, an Associate Professor at Engineering Research Center of Biological Control Ministry of education, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, whose work through the China-Pakistan Joint Research Center for Integrated Citrus Pests Management is directly tackling the pest epidemics and quality issues that have long held back Pakistan's citrus industry.

"The single biggest challenge is the industry's inability to meet strict international phytosanitary standards," Dr. Ali told China Economic Net. "Shipments are frequently rejected due to endemic pests and diseases—this has trapped farmers in a cycle where they cannot access the markets that would fund the very improvements they need."

Established in 2018 with Pakistan's University of Sargodha, the research center has become a practical example of technology transfer under the Belt and Road Initiative, focusing on sustainable, eco-friendly solutions tailored to local conditions.

Supported by a RMB one million grant from the Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau , Dr. Ali and his team have introduced integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that are already showing scale. These include yellow sticky traps, sex pheromones, specific-wavelength LED light traps, mass release of insect natural enemies and biological pesticides.

"We've identified 134 species of ladybugs from 46 genera in Pakistan (including several previously unrecorded) and a considerable number of strains of insect pathogenic fungi," said Dr. Ali. "This isn't about importing solutions, it's about adapting knowledge and empowering local systems."

The project has established demonstration orchards across Sargodha District in Punjab province, where farmers can see firsthand the benefits of reduced pesticide use, improved fruit quality, and higher export compliance.

Still, the path hasn't been smooth. Differences in pest behavior, underdeveloped bio-agent production infrastructure, and farmer skepticism initially slowed adoption. Regulatory barriers also complicated the cross-border exchange of biological samples.

Through close collaboration with Pakistani academic institutions and ministries, the center helped establish local insectaries and pushed for policy facilitation. Side-by-side field comparisons and clear economic incentives eventually won over growers.

With Pakistan's 2025 citrus harvest expected to see a 10-15% increase, driven largely by natural cyclical patterns, the persistent threat of Huanglongbing (HLB) and fruit flies remains a ceiling on growth.

But the partnership led by experts like Dr. Ali is planting the seeds of long-term change: building a self-sustaining system of ecological management and scientific capacity that promises to strengthen Pakistan's citrus industry.

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