Agriculture ties to be strengthened: Argentinean envoy

Argentinean Ambassador to Pakistan Ivan Ivanissevich has said that his country would assist Pakistan in agricultural advancements for transforming the sector with modern tools including precision approaches, zero tillage, and proper weed eradication etc. He met UAF VC Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan in his chamber and later addressed the Deans and Directors at Syndicate Room of the varsity.
He said that Argentina- Pakistan agricultural ties would be further strengthened to get benefit from each other experiences. He said that there are enormous potential to collaborate in manufacturing of agricultural machinery and pharmaceutical industry, adding that his country has state-of-the-art pharmaceutical ecology to flourish. He said that his country has earned significant advancements in basic and applied agriculture research that could benefit the other parts of the world to meet their challenges.
The Ambassador praised the steps being taken on the part of UAF for the development of the agricultural sector with quality research and trained manpower.
He urged the UAF management to send scientists, farmers and students to Argentina where they would get benefit from each other experience and they could witness agricultural advancements, technology up-gradation and an environment of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. He also said that Argentine-Pakistan collaborations could translate new knowledge and skills into goods and services aiming at making the farming sustainable and a profitable business. He revealed that dust storms were usual in Argentina that causes soil erosion but growing peanut, soybean and maize such erosion is not happening at massive scale.
He was of the view that average farm size in Argentina was 1400 acres where the farmers used to grow one crop in a year but he remained harvesting two crops. He said agriculture and agro-industry in Argentina focus on the producing of cereal, oil grains and seeds, sugar, fruit, tea, tobacco, and cotton. He said that Argentina is sending its Mission to Pakistan aiming at to explore new opportunities of mutual cooperation and he would forward the mission to UAF.
Earlier, UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while briefing the visiting ambassador, said that UAF was striving hard to meet the food security challenges and ensuring agriculture and rural development through policy reforms, outreach, expanding social work and community engagements.
Highlighting the Key Performance Indicators, he said that UAF scientists are working on hundreds of research projects worth 2.5 billion rupees adding that no other university of the country has such credentials. He said the varsity was expanding its international networking as after USAID funded USPCAS-AFS and Confucius Institute, a Pak-Korea Hi-Tech Agriculture Innovation Center/Technology Park worth 30 million US Dollars is also in the offing.