China-Pakistan desert agriculture lab opens in Multan. A joint China-Pakistan desert agriculture and horticulture lab has been launched in Multan under CPEC. Prof Cheng Xizhong said the project will introduce water-saving and solar-powered technologies for arid land farming. MULTAN: A joint China-Pakistan facility focused on desert agriculture and horticulture has been launched in Multan, with officials and researchers presenting it as a step forward in bilateral agricultural cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. According to Prof Cheng Xizhong, a senior research fellow at the Charhar Institute, the new Joint Laboratory for Desert Agriculture and Science and Technology Backyard for Desert Horticulture is Pakistan’s first such initiative. He said the project combines China’s established desert farming methods with Pakistan’s largely underused arid land resources. Cheng said the project is aligned with Pakistan’s Green Pakistan Initiative and supports sustainable land restoration, the cultivation of drought-resistant crops and the development of the rural economy.