FAISALABAD: It is need of the hour to develop agriculture on modern lines to ensure the food security and address the woes of the farming community, said Vice Chancellor University of Agricultural Faisalabad Prof Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan.
He was talking to 42 Mid-Career Management Course, National Institute of Management Islamabad. The delegation was led by Dr Syeda Faiza Urooj.
Prof Dr Muhammad Sarwar 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 are carrying superior traits like input-responsiveness, early maturing, top borer-resistance, herbicide-tolerance and high-number of tillers. It is the second GM sugarcane varieties after the 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 of chickpea for irrigated land. He was of the view that brassica variety UAF 11 is also a hallmark step. He said that UAF, being the first agricultural
institution in the subcontinent, was playing a significance 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 their active role.
Talking about internationalization, he said that university was housing Pak Korea Nutrition Center, Center for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security, Chinese Confucius Institute, 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 the new varieties of quinoa, backyard poultry and others.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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