University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), in collaboration with Washington State University, is developing high-yielding wheat varieties that are expected to boost average wheat production and help ensure food security, said UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan.
He expressed these views during his address as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the one-day Besakhi: Wheat Harvesting festival. The festival was organized by the Agri Tourism Club and Senior Tutor Office, in collaboration with Pakistan US Alumni Network, at the ground adjacent to Iqbal Auditorium.
Various stalls selling traditional foods and displaying cultural shows and modern farming tools were also set up. Treasurer Umar Saeed Qadri, Senior Tutor Dr Shaukat Ali, Prof Dr Abdul Khaliq, Dr Fahad Rasul, Dr Safdar Ali, Dr Umair, Research Associate Nehal Ahmad Khan and others attended.
The VC of the UAF said that the adoption of modern trends was essential not only to make agriculture a profitable business and improve the economic condition of farmers, but to also meet the food requirements of a growing population. He added that the fair aims to bring a message of happiness to farmers and announced that the country had experienced a bumper crop this year.
He added that last year, 30,000 UAF students visited farmers across Punjab to make them aware of modern trends in wheat sowing, under the direction of Punjab government. Dr Khan said that it is essential to make wheat production per acre comparable with the productivity of developed countries.
On this occasion, a farmers’ training session was organized by the Department of Agronomy, where they were sensitised about modern trends in agriculture. APP
Published in The Express Tribune, May 12th, 2023.
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