FAISALABAD, Dec 17: The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad, has suggested that the government should establish a manufacturing plant for agriculture medicines.

Talking to Punjab Taskforce on Agriculture chairman Shuja Khanzada here on Wednesday, he said a manufacturing plant would enable farmers to get cheap and pure agriculture medicines. He said the plant would also earn fame at international markets by export of pesticides.

He said the university faculty members had been rendering their services efficiently to boost the agriculture sector in the country. As many as 800 students of this institution had been sent to farmers of different areas to train them about wheat sowing after a campaign was launched by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, he said.

The students had been training farmers on how to use pesticide, what is appropriate timing for irrigation and cultivation and how they could improve their yield. Besides, he said, the university had also introduced novel methods for improvement of the horticulture sector in the country.

Dr Ahmad said an international seminar was also scheduled to be held at the UAF on Jan 14 next year, in which agriculture scientists and dignitaries from different countries would take part and share their experiences.

Mr Khanzada said the government had been using all means to develop the horticulture and value-addition sectors by employing contemporary agriculture technology and scores of new projects would be initiated with the collaboration of China.