FAISALABAD, Jan 7: The local University of Agriculture is striving hard to train students in the fields of genetic engineering and biotechnology on modern lines to keep them abreast with times.

This was stated by university Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Riaz Husain Qureshi at the inaugural session of a National Training Course on ‘Integration of Biotechnological and Conventional Techniques for Crop Improvement’ held here on Monday.

The VC said the agri varsity was the main source of producing trained manpower in the field of agriculture and feeding the research organizations in the country.

He said it was high time to enrich the agricultural research system with latest scientific developments and biological techniques.

Signifying the role of scientists, the VC said they should try to excel through advancement in biological science to put the country on a roadmap to prosperity.

He said impending threats of drought due to shortage of water were affecting the sector, adding the plant scientists should seriously think to design and improve better plants to meet the challenge.

A training programme to introduce the biotechnological techniques would help getting rid of the threats the country had been on a war with, he hoped.

Dr Riaz said the Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology (CABB) had been established in the university to train graduates on professional lines.

‘Although it was in development phase and not yet formally inaugurated, work had been started here with the resources available, he said.

Earlier, Plant Breeding and Genetics head Dr Iftikhar Ahmad said some 10 faculty members, trained in various areas of biotechnology, were dealing with plant scientists and working on various agriculture crops, horticulture plants, animal sciences, poultry and cattle in the centre.

He claimed the university was contributing to the development in the field and had produced 20 MScs and 4 PhDs. It also conducted a national symposium on Biotechnology and international seminar on New Horizons in DNA Technology while the current course, it was offering, was the 22nd of its nature.