University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan has urged the agricultural scientists to solve the real issues of farming community to ensure food security and alleviate poverty.

He chaired 24th Board of Directors meeting of the Endowment Fund Secretariat UAF . He said that per acre productivity in Pakistan is very low as compared to developed countries. He said that in order to meet the challenges facing agriculture, UAF is using all its resources to produce trained workforce as well as to modernize agriculture through research. He said that the commissioned research was the need of the hour to fight the He said that a research project was being launched for the promotion of home gardening in which scientists from three departments of the university including Entomology, Plant Pathology and Horticulture Sciences would work together for the promotion of home sciences. He said that home gardeners would be encouraged to plant different fruits, vegetables as well as flower plants. He said that vegetable and floriculture nurseries are also being set up under this project. He said that vegetables grown in Pakistan have high levels of MRL (maximum residual limit) which is causing various diseases. He said that a National Incubation Center would be set up in the Exhibition Center of the University of Agriculture so that entrepreneurship skills could be promoted in the students by cultivating entrepreneurial potential. Executive Director of Endowment Fund Secretariat Dr. Ijaz Ahmad Bhatti, Treasurer Umar Saeed Qadri, Registrar Tariq Mehmud Gill, Executive Director ALP, PARC Muhammad Asif, Dr. Shahbaz from PARC, Shafique Rehman from USDA, Vice Chancellor Agriculture University Peshawar Professor Jahan Bakhat, Dr. Naeem Mehmood, Deputy Director Endowment Fund Amir Saeed Rana, Dr. Sajjid Ali, also spoke on the occasion. The meeting also approved the budget of the Endowment Fund as well as different research projects meant to meet the challenges of agriculture.