TOBA TEK SINGH: The Endowment Fund Secretariat of UAF Board of Directors meeting has granted 16 research projects meant to fight challenges of agriculture, poverty alleviation, rural development, food and nutrition security.

The meeting was presided over by UAF VC Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan on Wednesday. Industrialist Dr Salim Qureshi, University of Narowal VC Dr Tariq Mahmood, University of Agriculture Peshawar VC Dr Jehan Bakht, Agriculture Linkages Program-Pakistan Agriculture Research Council Executive Director Muhammad Asif, Dr Muhammad Azeem from PARC, UAF Registrar Tariq Mehmood Gill, Treasurer Umar Saeed Qadri and Executive Director Endowment Fund Dr Ijaz Ahmed Bhatti participated.

Dr Iqrar Ahmad said innovation-based research projects would help develop agriculture on modern lines so that technology could be brought to the doorsteps of farmers and find solutions to the agricultural problems. He urged the agricultural researchers to play their role to make agriculture profitable and ensure food security.

Dr Javed Saleem said development could be ensured only by strengthening the industry-academia relationship.

Dr Jehan Bakht said the dream of poverty alleviation could not come true without agriculture development. He said that adopting modern agricultural trends was the most important need of the hour so that future planning could be done to achieve food stability by dealing with research issues in an efficient manner.

Narowal University VC Dr Tariq Mehmood said research process was being promoted to create a knowledge-based economy.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2022