(Shaanxi A&F Technology University, Yangling)

Professor Zhong Weizhou, President of Shaanxi A&F University

Mr. Gao Jinxiao, Deputy Director General of the Shaanxi Foreign Affairs Office,

Distinguished faculty, respected officials,

Dear graduates,

There are ceremonies that conclude a chapter. And then there are those that announce the beginning of something greater. Today is definitely the latter.

We are here not just to mark the graduation of the first cohort of Pakistani agricultural professionals trained in China. We are here to witness a shift, measured not in numbers, but in direction. A shift from intention to impact.

One year ago, the Prime Minister of Pakistan made a promise on Chinese soil - to train 1,000 of Pakistan’s agricultural professionals in China. That promise was rooted in a simple belief: that the future of Pakistan’s agriculture would not be built in conference halls, but in labs, and fields. And that future, ladies and gentlemen, begins here.

Graduates: you are the first wave. And first waves carry gravity. You have studied, absorbed, adapted. And now, you will lead. You return not just as scholars, but as seeds of change.

Your journey began at Yangling College. Today you graduate from Shaanxi A&F Technology University, an institution that has evolved alongside you. This name change is more than semantics. It reflects scale, vision, and rising ambition. And it is fitting that your transformation coincides with that of this university.

But there is deeper meaning still in where this journey took place.

We are in Yangling, the heart of China’s first Agricultural Hi-Tech Industries Demonstration Zone, a national platform for agricultural innovation and rural revitalization. This is a living laboratory of what is possible when research meets policy, and technology meets the land.

To train here is to be immersed in the frontier of modern agriculture. From smart farming systems to seed innovation, from sustainable land use to industrialized value chains, Yangling embodies a future that Pakistan seeks to build.

That is why your training here matters.

To President Prof. Zhong Weizhou, I extend deep appreciation. Your university’s leadership has been the compass of this program. To Mr. Gao Jinxiao and the Foreign Affairs Office of Shaanxi Province, thank you for being the steady hands behind this cooperation. And to the entire university community, your investment in our professionals will echo far beyond these halls.

Dear Graduates,

Pakistan’s agriculture is rich in potential but burdened by growing pressures. Climate shocks. Water scarcity. Stagnant productivity. We are at a crossroads. But we are not without answers.

And you are part of the answer.

The techniques and insight you’ve gained, are not academic luxuries. They are survival tools. And now, they are yours to deploy.

But let me offer this: your greatest contribution will not be in what you learn. It will be in how you implement it and how you inspire others to rise with you.

Knowledge is not finished when it is learned. It begins again when it is shared.

As you return to Pakistan, take with you more than expertise. Carry with you Yangling’s spirit: its discipline, its optimism, its refusal to accept limitations.

You are now the face of a new chapter in Pakistan-China cooperation: one that is greener, smarter, and deeply people-centric. A chapter that speaks not only of all-weather friendship, but of shared harvests and joint solutions.

Go forward as catalysts. Connect the wisdom of the land with the innovation of the lab. Connect farmers with futures. And above all, carry yourselves with the quiet confidence of those who do not need to be loud to be lasting.

Today, you graduate. Tomorrow, you begin.

Shukriya. Xie xie. Thank you.