HYDERABAD: Dr Fateh Marri, Vice Chancellor, Sindh Agriculture University, said that the world is suffering from hunger and food shortages, while lack of resources and climate change are having a negative impact on agricultural production, which is increasing food shortages and due to growing poverty in Sindh, the majority of the population does not have access to adequate nutritional needs.

Speaking to a brief ceremony of degree awarding to PhD Scholar Tauqeer Ahmed Sheikh, Dr Fateh Marri said that said that there is a need for research on various grains including millet and research on new varieties of rice and especially hybrid seeds.

He said that agronomists and researchers should also research alternative food crops and there is a need to increase the yield per acre of various crops including millet, barley, rice and maize and use modern technology to improve the productivity of these grains to get food and oil from such varieties.

Tauqeer Ahmed Sheikh, PhD Scholar, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Crop Production, in his research on “Development of improved production technology to enhance biomass, grain and bio-fuel production of Sorghum genotypes” proves that the growing population and limited resources of food are cause of various problems, while Pakistan’s economy and daily business depend on the agricultural sector and climate change is hampering better crop yields, while not using modern technology is also causing crop shortages.

In addition to food, millet provides energy to livestock through biomass, while also providing environmentally friendly bio-oil, which can meet fuel and household energy needs, he said, therefore, alternative crops and varieties will have to be introduced along with modern agricultural methods.

Dr Qamaruddin Chachar, Dean Faculty of Crop Production, Dr MubeenLodhi, Director Advanced Studies, Dr Aijaz Ahmed Soomro, Supervisor, Dr Ghulam Mustafa Leghari, Supervisor, Dr Inayatullah Rajpar, Dr Islamuddin Majidano and Dr Ghulam Murtaza Jamro were also present on the occasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021