Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanvir Hussain said that agricultural scientists should make concerted efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency by increasing per acre productivity. It is the need of the hour to disseminate modern technology for the farming community to meet the food needs of an ever-growing population, he said while addressing the International Wheat Conference organised by the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF).

He believes that in the face of climate change, agricultural scientists will have to introduce heat-tolerant varieties. Chairman of Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Mukhtar Ahmed stated that 20% to 25% of wheat was wasted during harvesting and urged agricultural experts to devise a plan for reducing the wastage.

"After some years, we will have to face one of the worst floods and prepare strategies to deal with it," he said.

He appreciated the efforts of agricultural scientists and expressed the hope that they would play their role in facing the agricultural challenges.

UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that in order to deal with the devastating impact of climate change, the UAF is working on high-quality wheat varieties in collaboration with Washington State University, which will increase per acre production.

"Despite being an agricultural country, we have to import essential commodities 10 billion dollars, which is a matter of great concern. We have to find local solutions, keeping in mind the real problems of farmers," he said.

Vice President for International Programme at Washington State University Asif Chaudhry said that his university was doing research to ensure food security.

Vice Chancellor of Arid Agricultural University Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman emphasized the promotion of precision agriculture at the national level, saying that it will not only increase production but also help in rural development and improve the farmer's economic condition.

Scientist at Washington State University Kulvinder Singh Gill said that work was underway on new varieties of heat-tolerant wheat.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk