An artificial intelligence-based farmer-support system and robotic machinery drew interest from overseas participants at the 33rd China Yangling Agricultural Hi-Tech Fair (CAF) and the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Agricultural Expo on Oct. 25, as they explored agricultural technologies and their potential applications in their home countries.

Among them were 23 agricultural officials and experts from seven countries attending the Seminar on Capacity Building and Management of Agrotechnology Extension for Developing Countries.

The participants came from Pakistan, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Jordan, Namibia, The Gambia and Uganda, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Monday.

Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Khan, director of agriculture extension at the Punjab Agriculture Department in Lahore, Pakistan, said he was impressed by an AI-based farmer-support system showcased at the fair.

He said integrated information systems could help organise data on natural factors affecting agriculture and support farm management.

For countries such as Pakistan, where many farmers operate smallholdings, modernising agriculture also requires ways to deliver new technologies and information to farmers who may have limited access to them, Khan said.

He saw potential for China-Pakistan cooperation in applying digital tools to agricultural extension and farm management.

"AI-based systems that bring together information on agricultural conditions could be one area for China-Pakistan cooperation, particularly in helping farmers make use of data in day-to-day farm management," Khan said.

Two Jordanian agricultural engineers attending the seminar were also interested in the technologies on display, particularly machinery, robotics and plant-related equipment.

Dona Alsoub, who specialises in agricultural engineering, said she wanted to learn more about the equipment and technologies showcased at the fair.

She also noted that language could be a barrier for international visitors and said English-language explanations would help them better understand the exhibits.

Alaa Jamal Airout, an agricultural engineer specialising in animal production, said she was impressed by the range of exhibits and hoped to discuss what she had seen with people back home.

Her interests extended from crop production and machinery to livestock farming.

For Mohsen El Shishtawy, public relations consultant and executive director of the Egyptian-Chinese Entrepreneurs Association (ECEA), the fair was also an opportunity to explore institutional cooperation.

El Shishtawy said he was looking into cooperation between Chinese and Egyptian agricultural universities and discussing potential collaboration with institutions in Egypt.

Running from Oct. 25 to 29 in Yangling Demonstration Zone, Shaanxi province, the fair and the concurrent SCO Agricultural Expo have brought together more than 2,000 enterprises from over 50 countries and regions.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China