UAF Sub-campus Should Be Set Up In Gilgit-Baltistan: GB Minister

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2021 ) :Gilgit-Baltistan Agriculture Minister Muhammad Kazim Masem Tuesday said that a sub-campus of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) should be established in his province to increase agricultural productivity and produce the trained manpower in the agriculture field.

He was talking to University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asif Tanveer at the meeting room of Vice Chancellor Secretariat. He said that although our homeland is blessed with four seasons, fertile land, and one of best ecosystem, but we are unable to tap potential from our climatic diversity in order to enhance our agriculture production.

He said that agricultural experts and scientists should devise a comprehensive strategy and conduct researches to combat different issues in the agricultural sector. He said that we were far lagging behind in the modern agriculture practices, value addition etc that was a matter of grave concern.

He said that the in the post-harvest losses, the country was losing as many as 40 percent of its production. He added that the country can earn heavy foreign exchange by exporting agriculture goods after meeting the international standards.

He said that the country was the producing one the best tastes fruits like apricot, mulberry, citrus, grapes and cherry etc but owing to non-availability of value addition, we are not getting benefit from out potential.

He said that they would call the UAF scientists there to collaborate with farming community and agricultural experts to make the advancement in the agricultural avenue.

He invited the Vice Chancellor and experts of agriculture, horticulture, agriculture sciences, energy and others to visit GB hosted by GB government to explore the potential of GB agriculture. He said that the services of farming community were remarkable who worked day and night to provide the food for us. He also urged the University to increase GB students' seats in the UAF admission criteria.

On the occasion, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asif Tanveer said that the establishment of sub-campus there will prove a milestone to address the different agricultural related issues there.

Registrar Umer Saeed said that the GB students interested in the UAF admission can be admitted as the need-based manpower requirement there in the different sectors of the agriculture including value addition, crop, food sciences, livestock etc on the recommendations of GB government.

Later, the minister also met the 40 GB students in UAF and listened to their issue for the future placement. GB Deputy Director Extension Sakardu Dr Zakir Hussain, and others also attended the meeting.