BARI to hold agricultural youth festival

Barani Agricultural Research Institute, (BARI) Chakwal will organise a two-day Agricultural Youth Festival at BARI Chakwal on March 11.

BARI Chakwal Director Muhammad Rafique Dogar said that the objective of the festival is to showcase the latest agri-technologies and agri-business ideas to the talented youth in collaboration with collaborators from public and private sectors.

The event would also provide a platform to various value chain players/stakeholders to showcase their agricultural products and interact with students, farmers and civil society members. "We will also organise a Water Purification Filter Development Challenge at the event on March 12 and the students from various educational institutes are being encouraged to participate in the program," he said, adding that the event would be opened for the visitors from 10am to 4pm on Friday and Saturday.

According to a spokesman, BARI is a multi-crop and multi-disciplinary R&D organisation working on more than 40 crops strategically important for enhancing agricultural productivity and profitability of farming communities in rain-fed region on a sustainable basis. The institute is developing applied Agro-technologies and contributing greatly to Agri. Transformation Plan by focusing on transforming Potohar region into a high-value agriculture valley.

The institute is recognised as hub of olive R&D activities in the country and a technology park for rain-fed Agri-business as well.

The spokesman said that BARI is planning to arrange visits of the guests to the stalls showcasing agri-business products, organise agriculture competitions and manage exposure visits to BARI experimental orchards/GPUs of various high-value crops including olives, blackberry, pistachio, fig, avocado, oranges, nectarines, Barani canola, wheat and the-state-of-the art cold-press olive oil extraction unit. Various value-added products being commercialized such as olive oil, pickles, jams, olive bakery products, honey, peanuts, and other products would be available for sale, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2022.