Agricultural contents need to be made an essential part of electronic media headlines to guide people especially from rural area about the latest trends in agriculture.

Agricultural contents need to be made an essential part of electronic media headlines to guide people especially from rural area about the latest trends in agriculture. This was stated by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Chairman Absar Alam while addressing a seminar on “role of electronic media in economy and agriculture sector in Pakistan” as the chief guest. The session presided over by UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan was organized by Public Relations and Public Relations Department, UAF. He urged the media to dedicate time for agricultural content that will help farming community to increase the productivity. He said media is the fourth pillar of the state and have the power to influence masses' mind and opinion building. He said that 70% economy of the country depends on agriculture as the sector dominates economy by providing food, employment, income and foreign exchange. He said that electronic media can play a pivotal role by assisting in the delivery of accurate and timely information among farmers. Electronic media is the most reliable and quick source of information to get updates on weather, and knowledge about new techniques and technologies. He said that world ranked universities like Howard University , Cambridge University etc are having the Endowment Fund in which business men are providing the funds for research and development and other facilities. He urged the business class of Faisalabad to fund a TV Channel at the UAF for the farming community of the country. He said that the PEMRA was a regulatory body and all possible steps are being taken. He said that according to article 19 of constitution of Pakistan, the Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defense of Pakistan or any part thereof friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence.” He said that there were 91 total satellite TV channels out of which only five are educational, one agriculture based whereas 50 entertainments and 35 news channels. He said that the 60,000 cable operators are working in the country.UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan urged the media to give proper time for agriculture sector. He said that time specific for agriculture sector on the electronic media is negligible. He said that the country was having the abundant food but 40 percent of our population is food deficient mostly comprising rural population. He said that usage of electronic media would help the people to get aware with the modern trends as the TV is being watched in every village of the province. He said that the UAF research and development budget has exceeded to Rs 2.5 billion which is highest in the Pakistan. He said that this year the cotton production has faced decline in the production worth billions of rupees. He said that the UAF has developed a new variety of cotton which is climate tolerant. He also said that the UAF had developed ten varieties of mangoes also and heat tolerant hen. Principal Officer Public Relations and Publications Dr Jalal Arif said journalism plays an important role for the development of the country appreciated. He said that UAF was the only institution in the country ranked among the top 100 varsities of the globe.He said that during last 8 years, the UAF was opened up new golden chapters of the history. He said that the university has paced up its outreach program and community service to address the problem of the farming community. He said that it is the first ever university of the country ranked among the top 100 universities of the globe.