PM Imran Khan suggests 5-point scheme to enrich agricultural sectors of developing states

"We need a revolution and a vision for the future. The COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis should drive home the message to all — rich and poor and weak or powerful that we will perish or survive together," the premier said.

Moving forward, the prime minister suggested a five-point agenda to uplift the developing world and help it recover from the COVID-19 impact.

1st: We need to in sustainable agricultural infrastructure to facilitate transport, production and distribution of agricultural products the green lanes set up by China are a good example.

2nd: Governments, more actively, need to ensure adequate and fair prices for agricultural and food products. The so-called magic of the marketplace should be balanced with the hand of the state. Farmers should not be left to the mercy of the cooperations, and at the same time, international agricultural trade must be rationalised.

3rd: Breakthrough technologies must be consciously applied to enhance food production, ensure efficient usage of water and land, and above all, improve seed quality.

4th: The adoption of digital technologies is as vital in agriculture as in other economic sectors. Ensuring internet and broadband access to the rural areas will be vital for their international and global supply chains.

5th: We must rethink our patterns of food consumption and production. We can eat better, and many of us would do well to eat less.

The conference, taking place on 17 and 18 February 2021, would focus on the overarching theme "Rural development: a prerequisite for global resilience".