STORY: Pakistan exports first shipment of red chilies to China in CPEC agriculture cooperation
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 19, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 21, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:43
LOCATION: KARACHI, Pakistan
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the ceremony
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): GOHAR EJAZ, Pakistani caretaker Minister for Commerce
3. various of the red chilies fields
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZHENG XIAOHUI, Project manager at China's Sichuan Litong Food Group

STORYLINE:

Pakistan has made its first shipment of dry red chilies to China as part of enhanced agricultural cooperation between the two countries under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).  

To mark the event, a grand ceremony was held on Tuesday in Pakistan's port city of Karachi in southern Sindh province, attended by officials, experts, and business people, among others, from both Pakistan and China.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): GOHAR EJAZ, Pakistani caretaker Minister for Commerce
"I believe that we must invite and employ new technology, hybrid seeds, corporate farming, and benchmark agricultural practices with Chinese help and Chinese support. And this chili export is the first gateway for our agricultural exports (to China under the CPEC), which is a landmark and we are thankful to China for letting us have this access to the Chinese market."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZHENG XIAOHUI, Project manager at China's Sichuan Litong Food Group
"We're not just working with farmers, we pay a lot of attention to training the people, to training those agricultural professionals. Through our efforts, we have trained over 1,500 Pakistani agricultural technicians and provided 6,000 temporary employment opportunities, significantly boosting economic benefits for local farmers."

Pakistan is among the leading chili-producing countries in the world, with the potential to become a major player in chili cultivation. Chinese technical teams are collaborating with local farmers, landowners and universities to help Pakistan reach its full potential as a chili-exporting country.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Karachi, Pakistan.
(XHTV)