PATTF proposed to settle issues of food security: Fawad

FAISALABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Saturday said the Pakistan Agriculture Technology Task Force (PATTF) headed by University of Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor had been proposed to settle issues of food security and elimination of rural poverty.

He was addressing a meeting of scientists of the University of the Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) during his visit here.

Underlining the importance of science and technology, he said that it had great potential to gear up pace of economic development. Quoting an example of the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) established

in 1964, he paid the best tributes to the visionary scientists who visualised the importance of water resources and constituted the council.

"The international community is promoting trickling technology, we are still employing century-old flood irrigation practices," he said.

He said:" We should concentrate on this aspect as without utilising new inventions and technologies we could neither compete with developed nations nor make progress."

"We must develop and manufacture indigenous agriculture appliances for the mechanization of the agriculture sector," he added.

The minister assured that seed and fertilisers companies would be standardised and notified for the sale of quality products. It would also help in regulating their activities, he added.

Responding to a question, the minister said that national level science festival would be arranged in August to showcase different inventions, technologies and products developed by our talented and visionary scientists.

He also urged scientists to inspire people to switch over to new technologies which could improve their living style in addition to bring about qualitative improvement in their living-standard.

Earlier, the UAF Vice Chancellor briefed the minister about university performance while UAF memento was also present to the minister.

Later, the minister also visited various labs and departments of the university and appreciated the research work conducted in this alma mater.

Meanwhile, the minister also visited Science Center Faisalabad. He particularly visited the planetarium and museum and appreciated efforts of the Pakistan Science and Technology Information Center (PASTIC) to motivate students to adopt science subjects for their future study.