ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: The Higher Education Commission has approved a Rs34 million project, Production of Pathogen Free Horticultural Plants, which would be undertaken at the Arid Agriculture University (AAU), Rawalpindi.

A press release issued here on Monday said the project aimed at upgrading the Department of Horticulture of the university and establishing Bio-technological system for production of high quality “Pathogen Free Certified Plants”, specifically adapted to the arid regions of the country.

The Horticulture Department would also impart training to graduate and postgraduate students of the university and would develop human resource of the arid regions.

The technology would also be introduced to general public, scientists, womenfolk, and progressive farmers to help them grow, maintain and distribute plants produced under this project.

The press release said the project would essentially address a systematic practical training to cover aspects, like identification, evaluation of horticultural plant materials for being true to type, pathogen free, multiplication, acclimatisation, nursery establishments, maintenance, cultivation, harvesting, testing, grading and packaging, as those of international market standards.

The project would also help increase the productivity and income of the farmers/nursery owners of the arid regions and would result in the economic uplift of the areas concerned.