FAISALABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Syed Shibli Faraz has said that agricultural development is the top priority of the government. With innovations, agricultural researchers should come up with viable solutions to farmers’ problems in order to ensure food security and increase yields per acre.
He expressed these views during a meeting with UAF Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan at the meeting room, UAF. Federal Secretary Science and Technology Dr. Akhtar Nazir, Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Chairman Dr. Syed Hussain Abidi, Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Anas Sarwar Qureshi and all the deans attended.
Syed Shibli Faraz said that instead of being an adornment of the library, research should introduce new technologies to solve the problems of farmers and agricultural development. He said that farmers were facing difficulties due to poor quality seeds but the proposed certified seed project of the UAF would prove a milestone in tackling the challenge.
He assured of the federal government full support for the success of the project. He said that UAF being the first agricultural institution in the subcontinent, UAF was rendering remarkable services for the sector. He expects that AUF would continue provide research and trained manpower to take agriculture to new heights.
He said that agricultural scientists should introduce IT applications for the promotion of modern trends in agriculture with the help of information technology so that the farmers could get up-to-date information immediately. He said the academy, industry and the government make the joint efforts to attain the new height of the prosperity. He said that the government was promoting the culture of need based and applied research. He said that there was a need to create awareness among the farmers about the latest trends including hydroponics.
Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that only 30-35% of the farmers in the country could benefit from certified seeds. He said the UAF seed project would come up with the valuable results. He said that agriculture was facing problems including low productivity, fertility of land, shrinking agricultural area, water, unavailability of certified seeds. He said that nature has enriched Pakistan with natural resources but unfortunately we have not used them wisely. “Health problems are arising due to malnutrition.
If we make flour from a mixture of wheat and corn, it will also improve the quality of food,” he said. He said that the average yield of Pakistan per acre is 31, while progressive farmers are getting up to 60 maunds. He said that due to lack of resources in our country, the farmer is facing difficulty in obtaining agricultural inputs due to which there is a problem of reduction in overall yield per acre. He said that machine picking of cotton will increase production.
Dr. Akhtar Nazir said that all resources are being utilized for the solution of the problems faced by the farmers. He said that the scientists of UAF have to play a vital role for the development of agriculture. “Our yield per acre is very low due to traditional farming methods. If the recommendations of agricultural scientists are followed, the yield can be increased,” he said.
Dr. Syed Hussain Abidi said that the knowledge based economy is essential in the present times to progress by cultivating a culture of excellent research. “We have to take steps to bring modern technology to the farmers,” he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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