By Qudsia Bano ISLAMABAD, March 10 (INP-WealthPK) French Ambassador in Pakistan Nicolas Galey has expressed his desire to see an increased agricultural trade between France and Pakistan. According to Nicolas Galey, the two countries could strengthen their cooperation by establishing links between their research centers. The ambassador recently met with Federal Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam. Pakistan exported 463,000 tonnes of citrus fruits last year and is able to enhance its exports to France as a result of the EU's GSP plus status, said Imam. He expressed his desire to see more agricultural trade between the two countries and invited a Pakistani delegation to visit France's key scientific centers. The ambassador praised the federal minister's initiative to establish a student and teacher exchange program. Cotton, melon, cereal crops, and other high-value crops and animals, according to Fakhar, can benefit both countries' agriculture sectors if germplasm is shared on a reciprocal basis. Citrus fruits, rice, mangoes, onion, potatoes, fishery, and livestock, for example, have a huge export potential in Pakistan. Cooperation in cotton production methods and high-value horticulture commodities such as kinnow, dates, and mangoes, according to the minister, could be beneficial to Pakistan. He said both the countries could strengthen their cooperation by establishing links between their agricultural research centers. Imam complimented the present government's efforts, claiming that the biggest hindrance to research in the last 70 years had been a lack of finances. For the first time in Pakistan's history, billions of rupees have been invested in agricultural research through the Prime Minister Initiative Program, resulting in record wheat, maize, and rice output last year. According to Imam, Pakistan has 8 million tonnes of rice that can be exported. Approximately, 144,000 tonnes of mangoes were abroad. France possesses mechanical skills that can help Pakistan, he said. Pakistan faces a variety of issues, according to Fakhar, but the agriculture industry may be transformed with correct policy reforms. He said the Pakistani agriculture had been teetering along with conventional agricultural approaches and that it was past time that we start looking ahead in terms of modernization. It is worth mentioning that France is the biggest importer of Pakistani products and a very good market for it to earn handsome revenue. According to the United Nations Comtrade database on international commerce, Pakistan exported US$453.4 million to France in 2021.