It is the need of the hour to develop agriculture on modern lines to ensure food security and address the woes of the farming community, said Vice Chancellor University of Agricultural Faisalabad Prof Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan.
Talking to 42 Mid-Career Management Course at the National Institute of Management Islamabad, Prof Dr Khan said that the university had developed varieties of climate-resilient wheat with the support of Washington State University will prove to be a milestone. He said that the university has introduced high-yielding and potential varieties of Genetically Modified sugarcane including Insect-resistant transgenic sugarcane (CABB-IRS) and Herbicide-tolerant transgenic sugarcane (CABB-HTS).
These sugarcane varieties carry superior traits like input-responsiveness, early maturing, top borer resistance, herbicide tolerance, and a high number of tillers. It is the second GM sugarcane variety after Brazil across the globe.
He said that the UAF had introduced new varieties of soybeans which are being promoted among the farmers to get rid of the import. He said they had developed chickpeas for irrigated land. He was of the view that the brassica variety UAF 11 is also a hallmark step. He said that UAF, being the first agricultural institution in the subcontinent was playing a significant role in the uplift of the sector.
He said that innovation in agriculture can be done only by bringing research to the doorsteps of farmers, for which agricultural scientists and experts will have to play an active role.
Talking about internationalization, he said that the university was housing the Pak Korea Nutrition Center, the Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security, the Chinese Confucius Institute, the D8 Center, and ISTA Seed Lab and it has running 205 Memorandum of Understanding with international organization and 182 with national organization. He said that it has introduced new varieties of quinoa, backyard poultry, and others. — ERMD
