As many as 6.3 million hector of the land is victim of the salinity in the country while the situation has started taking nasty turn with the addition of 4,000 hectre land affected by salinity every year. The salinity across the globe has also affected the 7 percent of total world land and 33 percent of irrigated land.
This was stated by speakers at a seminar titled "Soil Quality for Food Security" arranged by the Institute of Soil and Environment Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, at New Senate Hall. The session was chaired by Higher Education Commission Adviser and UAF former Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Riaz Hussain Qureeshi. German Scientist Professor Dr Sven Schubert from the Institute of Plant Nutrition, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany was the guest of honour.
In his address, Dr Riaz Hussain Qureeshi stressed the need to adopt modern technologies in a bid to fight the salinity in the country. He said that the country is passing through the tough time and in the current scenario, it is the need of the hour to produce quality researches keeping in view salinity and water logging. The step will help bring the green revolution in country, he added. He said that the scientist community has to go long way in order to meeting the farming community expectations. He called for developing new avenues by adopting state-of-the-art technology and researches for increasing the per acre production. He said that due to changing climate, there was challenge confronting the country. He said that under the circumstances, new verities of crops compatible to the changing weather should be prepared.
Talking about the education, he said that it was observed that students were lacking communication, speaking English and independent decision making. The commission is taking all possible steps in order to averting the trends. He said that the students are hard working but due to lack of communication skills, they failed to market themselves. He said that universities of the country are lagging behind in the area of research. In the field, the researchers have to expedite the pace of work, he said adding that researchers of various sphere should work jointly in order to fulfil the dream of food security. The HEC stresses to hold the seminars and conferences that help transfer the knowledge and get benefit from the other experiences, he added.
Professor Dr Sven Schubert from the Institute of Plant Nutrition, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany, said that issue of food security was one of the most important issues of the world. He said that there were threatened sustainability of environment and biodiversity. Taking about the socio-economic and food security, he said there was 20-50 percent less livelihood facilities, education, health, etc. So, it is imperative to put all efforts by making the world food secure and he said Pakistan has a typical situation with 6.67×106 ha salt-affected land.
Institute of Soil and Environment Sciences, Director Professor Dr Muhammad Ashraf said that the institute has a close liaison with the farmers. The scientists of the institute are working various research project, keeping in view to solve the problem of soil including phosphorous and increasing per acre production that will result in secure the food. He thanked the audience for attending the seminar and making it a success.