Food security: EU envoy underscores need for collaborative efforts

Ambassador of EU delegation Lars-Gunnar Wigemark and Canadian High Commissioner Greg Giokas visited UAF and had a meeting with Vice Chancellor UAF Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan along with Deans and Directors of the varsity at New Syndicate Hall on Friday.
Lars-Gunnar Wigemark while addressing the meeting stressed the need for joint collaborative efforts among various countries through a consortium in order to cope with food security future challenges. He said that EU was providing assistance to Pakistan in the field of Horticulture particularly branding of Multan "Mango" and Sargodha "Kinnow" in order to shift the financial benefits to the farming community at large. He added that UNIDO had been striving for reduction of post harvest losses and development of value addition mechanism in agricultural sector of Pakistan. EU High Commissioner was of the view that Universities had been playing a significant role for the transformation of knowledge in order to revolutionised development sectors. He lauded the educational & research standard of UAF which had placed this institution at Top 300 best Agricultural Institutions of the World.
He said that University had great potential to fetch more opportunities in EU student exchange program and research funding on competitive grounds. He also hoped that by the initiation of 3-Year Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) launched at National Institute of Food Science & Technology (NIFSAT) in collaboration with EU funded UNIDO program would pave the way towards assurance of food safety and control in the Country.
High Commissioner of Canada, Greg Giokas highlighted the bilateral issues and cooperation in agricultural sector and said that both countries were enjoying cordial relations since many decades. He was of the view that subsidised agricultural mechanism had been shifted in to competitive focus agricultural productivity. He urged the scientists for the brand recognition in order to yield maximum financial benefits for farming community. He said that GMO Technology had revolutionised the productivity and this is the only way, which could have minimised the risks of mall nutrition around the Globe.
UAF Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while briefing the Ambassadors highlighted the achievements of the University particularly vertical growth of impact which had placed it among 150 Top Ranked Universities of the World. Dr Khan also highlighted the joint collaborative research programs initiated with the help of International Institutions and termed it the future prospect for future betterment and yield potential of agricultural and livestock produce. Both Ambassadors visited the various Research Projects and Laboratories of the University.