Australian-Pakistan Agricultural Sector Linkages Programme (ASLP) 3rd third phase will be kicked off to strengthen agricultural and dairy sector and to ensure food security in the county.

Australian-Pakistan Agricultural Sector Linkages Programme (ASLP) 3rd third phase will be kicked off to strengthen agricultural and dairy sector and to ensure food security in the county. This was stated by ASLP delegation comprising Dr Sandra Mustafa from University of Canberra, Australia and ASLP Operation Manager Munawar Kazmi while talking to the University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan. UAF Assistant Professor Dr Izhar Ahmad Khan, Dr Babar Shahbaz, Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization Director Prof Dr Asif Ali and others attended the meeting at VC Chamber. Talking to the Vice Chancellor, Dr Sandra said that under ASLP phase 2, work on different commodities including mango, dairy, citrus and others were carried on the three components to strengthen value chains, enabling policy and agricultural capability. She said that farmers to farmers conduct, and Information and Communication Technology play a vital role in the disseminating of latest agricultural practices among the farming community. She said that they were holding youth camps in Islamabad in March in which the stalls of different universities would be set up. Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that the county can earn heavy foreign exchange by giving due attention to cheese production. He said that the Dairy Technology Institute was being established at the UAF for producing trained manpower and to conduct valuable researches in the field. He praised the ASLP valuable work for the agricultural sector in Pakistan. He said that farmers fail to sell 30 percent of citrus last year because of some infection caused by diseases. Dr Munawar said efforts are afoot to select different commodities and areas for the third phase of ASLP. He was of the view that they were committed to enhancing value chains that benefit the rural poor through improved productivity market and to support analysis for improving economic management. He said that the objective of the ASLP is to improve rural livelihood and to enhance the production of the different commodities. Dr Izhar Ahmad Khan said that without keeping in the view social aspect, no campaign can bear the fruits. He said that it was need of the hour to educate the farming community about latest agri trends.