Yemen Ambassador to Pakistan, Mohammed Motahar Alashabi has called for further strengthening agricultural and academia ties between the both countries.

He called on University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asif Tanveer and deans, directors and principal officers of the university at meeting room. He stressed upon the need for joint efforts to meet the challenges of food security and food needs. He said that the both countries were enjoying deep rooted relations based on brotherhood. He said that Pakistan is a fortunate country with vast oceans, plains, fertile land resources, mineral wealth, and high mountains as well as vast desert landscapes with all kinds of crops and all those blessings. He said that Pakistani nation is very intelligent and hardworking so economic development and food security can be achieved by taking advantage of these resources. He lauded the research progress made at the UAF and added that this achievement could be replicated in other countries, including Yemen for which a memorandum of understanding would be inked. He said the majority of Yemen people were associated with the agriculture sector. Therefore, strengthened agricultural ties will help learn from each others and combat the different challenges. Earlier, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Asif Tanveer said that there was a lot of scope for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of agricultural education and research as well as business skills, increase in yield per acre. For which the Agricultural University will welcome the scholars and researchers of its brother country. He said that there is a huge scope for development in the livestock sector in the Republic of Yemen and the veterinary and livestock experts of the university can transfer their experiences in this regard. He said that the weather conditions and land resources in Yemen and Pakistan are very similar, so in the case of bilateral understanding, cooperation can be greatly expanded. Director Research UAF Prof Dr Zaheer Ahmad Zaheer briefed about the achievement and international rankings of the university, and development of modern technology. He said that UAF is ranked among the top 100 best universities in the world in the subject of agriculture and forestry in the international rankings. Principal Officer Estate Management UAF Prof Dr Javed Akhtar said that collaborations among the both countries would help address the common challenges Dean Faculty of Agriculture Prof Dr Javed Akhtar, Dean Faculty of Food and Home Sciences Prof Dr Masood Sadiq Butt, Dean Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology Prof. Dr. Muhammad Irshad, Dean Faculty of Animal Affairs Prof. Dr. Muhammad Aslam, Principal Officer Public Relations Prof. Dr. Muhammad Jalal Arif also spoke with reference to his respective departments. Yemeni Ambassador Muhammad Motahar al-Ashhabi visited the locust heart research cell and met Chairman Entomology Prof Dr Sohail Ahmad and Prof Dr Jalal Arif.