An eight-member delegation from Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC), led by Lee Bonghoon, Chairman Korean National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (KCID) visited here at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) for cooperation in agriculture sector and rural development.
The other members of the delegation included Vice-President, International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), Park Tae Seon, Director General, KRC, Bang Sung Soo, Director, Shen Yang HaoHao, Agriculture Co, S.B. Super
Soybeans Technology, Korea and other members, said a statement issued here on Sunday.
Dr Nadeem Amjad, Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) while presiding over meeting with Korean delegation said that the PARC was the apex agricultural organisation at national level which was co-ordinating agricultural research activities in Pakistan with the provinces and international organisations.
He highlighted the main fields of research including plant sciences, natural resources, animal sciences, agricultural engineering, social sciences and co-ordination.
Dr Pervaiz Khaliq, Senior Director Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Cell (PRMC) said there are 401 scientists including 120 PhDs, over 19 research institutes, number of research labs focusing over 96 disciplines of agriculture.
He also explained NARC achievements of development of new crops varieties and hybrids in wheat, maize, rice, sunflower, canola, mung, mash, masoor, soybean, sugarcane, horticultural crops, kitchen gardening program, FFS based implementation IPM model, new farm machineries and other technologies commercialised in various fields of agriculture.
Dr Ahmad Bakhsh Mahar, Member Plant Sciences PARC highlighted the story of promotion of cultivation of soybean at NARC and its production technology. He said soybean was the need of our country as in large quantity of soybean is imported in Pakistan for solvent and poultry industry.
The delegation visited field experimental area of Department of Horticultural Research and Development (DHRD), Silage Production Plant for small farmers, Cow and Buffalos Sheds, National Institute of Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB), Plant Genetic Research Institute (PGRI-Gene Bank).