Pakistan, Sept. 5 -- Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said Pakistan's exports must become the engine of economic growth and a key source of economic independence, stressing that the country needs extraordinary growth in exports to achieve the target of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2035.

Addressing a roundtable conference on "Unlocking Pakistan's High-Value Agriculture Export Potential: Threats and Opportunities," he said Pakistan would have to raise its exports beyond $100 billion by 2035 to sustain high economic growth and reduce dependence on external borrowing.

He said borrowing from international markets or repeatedly approaching the IMF and friendly countries to meet ...