Educational, agriculture sectors: Pak-Dutch bilateral ties to be further strengthened: Pors

Netherl-ands and Pakistan bilateral relations will be further strengthened in educational and agricultural sectors to get benefit from each other's experiences and to fight common challenges, said Renate Pors, Deputy Head of Mission, Netherlands Embassy, Islamabad.
She visited the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and met deans and director at the Syndicate Room. She said Netherlands had high agricultural productivity and one of exporters of agricultural produces. Netherlands is enjoying good relations with Pakistan. She said that faculty-student exchange programmes were also being strengthened to get benefit from each others. She said that ties between government-to-government, institution-to-institution and industry-to-industry would open up new avenue of progress. She lauded the steps being taken on the part of UAF for the agriculture and education sector.
She added that increment in agricultural production would help alleviate poverty and ensure food security. Netherlands is situated below the sea level, she added. They are worst hit by the climate changes. The multiple steps are being taken to fight the issue. She also said that in the coming years, there will be new technologies exchanged between both countries and long standing education programs will be retained. She said that Netherlands is working in the field of diary with Pakistan. She also said that goats are in huge number in Pakistan, then why cheese is not being produced? She said there should markets of cheese in Pakistan and there are many advantages of that cheese.
Faculty of Agriculture Dean Professor Dr Riaz Ahmad said that agriculture sector was the backbone of the Pakistan economy and contributing to 21 percent to the Gross Domestic Product. He said that unskilled manpower, traditional way of farming, and imbalance use of inputs were creating hindrance to tap the potential from our fertile land. He said that the UAF was making all-out effort to address the issue of agricultural sector at the national level. He said that UAF ties with the Netherlands institutions would help fight the common challenges. He said that UAF was having 450 PhDs faculty members and most of them are having the international exposure.
Principal Officer Public Relations and Publications and Chairman Entomology Professor Dr Jalal Arif said that cotton production had faced 35 percent decline last year. He said that the UAF was mapping out a comprehensive plan to address the issue at national level. He said that under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, the UAF had emerged as the only institution countrywide which had been ranked among the top 100 universities of the globe. He also praised the steps being taken on the part of the government to address the problems of the farming community. He said that government package for the farming community is the hallmark steps that would open up new avenue of progress and prosperity.
Director Oric Professor Dr Muhammad Aslam Mirza gave an overview of UAF and said that it is the first ever institutions of agriculture in the subcontinent established in 1906 on the recommendation of then famine commission. He said that it has produced 70,000 students and 1400 PhDs so far. All deans participated in the session.