Sino-Pak Agricultural Partnership Advances with High-Yield Canola Initiative Under CPEC Framework

Zhou Xusheng, Business Head of Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Company Limited in Pakistan, urged local farmers to adopt the high-yield canola hybrid HC-021C, developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported edible oil. Addressing farmers during a technical training session in Bhakkar’s Piplan region, Zhou emphasized, “This innovative variety enhances domestic oil production capacity and conserves Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves.”

Zhou clarified that while CPEC is often linked to infrastructure projects, his company’s contribution to the initiative lies in agricultural innovation. “Under our leadership, HC-021C was introduced to bolster Pakistan’s farming sector,” he stated. Highlighting Pakistan’s current cultivation of canola across 140,000 acres—a figure he deemed inadequate for reducing imports—Zhou outlined collaborative efforts under a bilateral agricultural agreement. His firm plans to facilitate access to Chinese-made harvesting machinery and oil extraction units to scale production.

The HC-021C variety, he explained, yields oil with reduced erucic acid and glucosinolate content—exceeding international health standards—while offering a sweeter taste and cardiovascular benefits. “The residual mustard cake also serves as nutrient-rich livestock feed, accelerating animal maturity and milk yield, thereby raising farmers’ income,” Zhou added. He pledged to lobby the Punjab government for subsidies to lower sowing costs and incentivize cultivation expansion.

Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Company and Pakistan’s Evyol Group formalized a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to locally produce canola seeds and edible oil, integrating the project into CPEC’s Phase-II Agricultural Cooperation. Since 2009, the partners have collaboratively refined HC-021C for superior yield and nutritional value.

Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Head of Evyol Group’s Certus Seeds, underscored the crop’s transformative potential: “Pakistan spends $4 billion annually on edible oil imports. Nationwide adoption of ‘double-zero’ canola—named for its negligible erucic acid and glucosinolate levels—could position it as an agricultural cornerstone.” He revealed that HC-021C trials from 2009–2019 demonstrated peak productivity in Piplan, Bhakkar, with high yields, disease resistance, and premium oil quality. Promising results were also recorded in Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur.

Zafar elaborated, “This variety’s omega-3 richness makes it second only to olive oil in health benefits. Its robust growth structure outperforms conventional varieties in both output and oil extraction efficiency.” The group aims to market “double-zero” oil this year, guaranteeing farmers premium pricing.

During the training, attendees received detailed guidance on cultivation techniques, fertilization protocols, and machinery use, with opportunities to address queries. Zhou and Zafar reiterated their commitment to modernizing Pakistan’s agriculture through sustained Sino-Pak collaboration.