ISLAMABAD: The American agricultural scientists under the US government-sponsored Wheat Productivity Enhancement Program (WPEP) are regularly collaborating with Pakistani scientists on research to combat diseases affecting Pakistan's principal crops particularly cotton and wheat.
Two high-level American scientists are in Pakistan to conduct research on the crop diseases causing losses in income and a threat to food supplies.
A series of workshops were conducted this week by the American and Pakistani scientists in coordination with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Commission (PARC), provincial agricultural research centers, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) to address problems affecting wheat productivity and to assess the progress of (WPEP).
Speaking to Pakistani scientists at a research lab in Murree, Dr. Kay Walker Simmons, Deputy Administrator of the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service said wheat is the center of Pakistani life as a food staple and a source of livelihood for many rural communities.
He said the WPEP is an example of how American and Pakistani scientists are collaborating to find a seed resistant to infectious wheat diseases.
He said the work together helps Pakistani farmers spend less money on wheat seeds and ultimately leads to increased incomes and wheat yield for farming communities throughout Pakistan.
A U.S embassy statement said these scientific collaborations are part of the broader US effort to help Pakistan boost agricultural productivity.
It said in addition, as Pakistan benefits from scientific advancements that result from this collaboration, the US efforts to improve linkages between producers and distribution networks provide greater market access for agricultural products both nationally and internationally. The end result is improved income for farmers across Pakistan.
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