International Conference on Biochemical and Chemical Sciences

It is a matter of grave concern that half of population fall victim to malnutrition in the country whereas 58 percent of the population is food insecure. In the world, there are just three countries accounting for half of malnourished women and children and Pakistan is among them. It was echoed at the International Conference on Biochemical and Chemical Sciences arranged by Department of Chemistry and Bio Chemistry, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Addressing on the occasion, Islamia University of Bahawalpur Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Mukhtar as chief guest said that country was facing the challenge of food insecurity, demanding the stepped up efforts on the part of scientists to fight the situation. He said that Pakistan is having the best ecosystem, cropping system and the talented youth. If we equipped them with quality education and skills, the country can progress rapidly. He quoted the example of China which is proving its mettle in different fields across the globe. He said that people in Cholistan lives long that is an area to be researched to find out its factors. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that the climate changes are the area of concern that demands collaborated efforts to weed out the challenge. He told the audience that the UAF is standing at the 35th position in the Green University rankings. He said that UAF was taking all our efforts to promote the green and environment friendly atmosphere. Foreign Scientist Dr Silvia Kaufmann from International Development Partner said as many as 45 percent of children below five years of age are stunted owing to chronic malnutrition. She said that as many as 40 to 50 percent of the people were living the poverty line. She called for collaborated efforts in this regard. She said that they were working to scale up the nutrition issue in the country. Dr Kausar Abdullah from FC College Lahore said that Pakistan was under the grip of the food insecurity. He said that the culture of collaborations among the different departments was vital to address the issue. Dean Faculty of Sciences Prof Dr Muhammad Javed said that according to National Nutrition Survey, 50.4 per cent of women are anaemic, 41.3 per cent had vitamin A deficiency, and 66.8 per cent had vitamin D deficiency. He said that his faculty was committed to take every steps to address the issue of food nutrition. Saleem Shaheen from Planning Commission said that fifty percent of women don’t have an access to the nutrient food. He said that it is challenge to feed the increasing population of the world that will touch to nine billion by 2050. Department Chairman Prof Dr Muhammad Asghar said that the Department was taking all tangible steps to address the issue. He said that the his department had produced 91 PhDs so far.