ISLAMABAD, FEB 17 (DNA) – Australian government will provide Pakistan 1.2 million Australian dollar grant for uplift of rural areas, media reported.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, Economic Affairs Division Acting Secretary Ahmad Hanif Orakzai and Australian Center for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) Chief Executive Officer Professor Andrew Campbell signed a memorandum of subsidiary agreement on “understanding the drivers of successful and inclusive rural regional transformation and sharing experiences and policy advice in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Pakistan”.

Under the agreement, Australia will provide AUD 1.2 million for a programme to be completed in three years, till 2022. The objective of the programme is to understand the nature, divers and consequences of rural transformation in Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Expending urbanization is putting pressure on land, labour and other resources for higher productivity. Rural transformation is the process by which an agricultural system transforms over time from being subsistence to commercialized and market-oriented farming, read the statement.

Shares of the population in rural areas remain high in China 43% and Indonesia 46% and even higher in Pakistan 61% and Bangladesh 65%. The project will examine the Chinese model of rural transformation and try to understand the nature of its success and lesions for countries with similar challenges.

On the occasion, the secretary, Economic Affairs Division thanked the Australian government for extending its continuous support to the government of Pakistan in its efforts towards development of agricultural sector of the country. = DNA

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