Delegation of Junior Foreign Trainee Diplomates from Foreign Service Academy, Islamabad Visits UAF

FAISALABAD Nov 15: University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan has said that uplift of the agriculture sector was vital to ensure the food security for which the collaborative efforts and adaptation of modern trends are needed to feed ever-increasing population. He was talking to junior foreign trainee diplomates from Foreign Service Academy, Islamabad. The delegation was headed by Director Program Foreign Service Academy Irfan Shoukat. He said that the agriculture sector was facing severe challenges due to climate changes and other factors for which we have to make joint efforts and to adopt the latest trends. He said that the country imports 92 percent edible oil of our required consumption and we can save the foreign exchequer with the promotion of oil seed crops. He added that the university was running an active soybean breeding program that will help the sector flourish the sector. He said that the country is stuck to five crops while we have the best agrological zones to cultivate various crops. He said that the wheat production was stagnant for the last decade whereas the maize production has gone up manifold due to the technology and market price mechanism. He added that the university was enjoying good relations worldwide as it has inked 184 international MoUs. He said that UAF was housing the Chinese Confucius Institute; Pak-Korea Nutrition Center and D8 Food Security Center. Irfan Shoukat praised the efforts of the UAF for the development of the agriculture sector that is the backbone of our economy. He urged the agricultural scientists to take concrete measures to cope with the agri challenges confronting the country. Principal Office Public Relations and Publication Dr Jalal Arif said that UAF under the dynamic leadership of Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan was turning all the stones to address the problems of the agriculture and farming community. He added that 30,000 UAF has visited the farmers' farms in the wheat enhancement campaign in order to inform them about ways to increase productivity on scientific bases. Dean Sciences Dr Asghar Bajwa, Dean Social Sciences Dr Sarfraz Hassan , Dean Food Sciences Dr Masood Sadiq Butt, Dean Animal Husbandry Dr Qamar Bilal; Treasurer Umar Saeed Qadri, Director ORIC Zahir Ahmad Zahir, DG NIFSAT Dr Imran Pasha, Director CAS Dr Sultan Habib Ullah and others also attended. They also visited different labs.