Member Planning S&T, Dr. Hussein Abidi on Thursday said the universities should focus on promotion of research and development for innovation and commercialization and keeping abreast with latest trends not only in the field of agriculture but also new advancements in science and technology
Member Planning S&T, Dr. Hussein Abidi on Thursday said the universities should focus on promotion of research and development for innovation and commercialization and keeping abreast with latest trends not only in the field of agriculture but also new advancements in science and technology.
He stated this while visiting the Institute of Hydroponics Agriculture of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) here. PMAS-AAUR Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof. Dr. Qamar Zaman, senior faculty members and researchers were present on the occasion.
Dr. Abidi said that the government is committed to develop science & technology sector while creating new opportunities to drive sustained economic growth.
He urged that the agriculture innovations, new varieties and all other technologies must be shared among the farmers to develop agriculture on modern lines.
He said that the food security is one of the major challenges and agricultural scientists must come forward to help the country in diversifying its agricultural products and achieve food security for its people.
He said, the efforts and commitments of PMAS- AAUR for running the hydroponics plant with indigenous workforce are commendable.
He also appreciated the steps taken by PMAS-AAUR for making modern agricultural technology accessible to farmers so they can increase the yields of their crops.
Earlier, the VC briefed Dr. Abidi that the Hydroponics system is the latest technique to produce safe, nutritious, delicious and high quality vegetables.
The VC further said, “Pakistan was previously importing high quality hydroponics vegetables from other countries, but, Institute of Hydroponic Agriculture (IHA) PMAS-AAUR changed this trend and now this institute is not only substituting these imports, but also planning to enhance export these products to middle East and Far Eastern regions. This Institute has exported worth US$ 1.3 million vegetables.”