As 90 percent of livestock in the country is without vaccinations, causing low meat and milk productivity. This was revealed at a meeting of Australian delegation headed by Dr Debbie Templeton, Manger Director Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) with University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan at Syndicate Room on Friday.
The other members of the delegation included Trade Data International Pty Ltd, Australia, Managing Director Jim Lang and Professor Bhajan Grewa. All deans and directors were also present on the occasion. Dr Debbie Templeton stressed the need to establish the Institute of Agricultural Research Policies in Pakistan in order to producing manpower and provide valuable recommendations based on research before the government for the development of the agriculture sector. She said that social sciences played a pivotal in the progress of any country. She said that the ACIAR was a statutory authority functioning as part of Australian government's development co-operation programmes. It supports Australia's agricultural scientists to use their skills for the benefit of developing countries and Australia, she added.
The UAF Vice Chancellor also called for setting up the Institute at the campus in a bid to train manpower and producing valuable research recommendations that would presented before Planning Commission and Punjab Planning Department for the execution. He praised the Punjab Chief Minster Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif for approving 300 foreign scholarships for the UAF students in order to strengthening the human development in the country. He said that foreign scholarships for the degree of agricultural research policy would also be offered under the CM scheme.