PABIC, University of Agriculture Faisalabad Conduct Seminar to Assess Food Security, Malnutrition, and Biotech in Pakistan

Pakistan's Centre for Excellence in Agriculture will be set up at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) to address the issue of food security and malnutrition. This was according to Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) chairman Muhammad Ayub, addressing participants in the seminar Slow Pace of Agricultural Biotechnology Adaptability: An Analysis and Way Forward arranged by the UAF on October 10, 2019.

Ayub said that the Government has allocated Rs287 billion (US$1.83 billion) for the agriculture sector to take it into mainstream economy and address the problems faced by farmers. He added that the amount was also allocated to help promote and strengthen biotechnology research in Pakistan.

Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center (PABIC) Director Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhary said the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and India are the top five countries that planted biotech crops in 2018. He said out of 57 Islamic countries, only four including Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Sudan are planting biotech crops.

For more details, read the article in The Dawn. To learn about the development of bitoech crops in Pakistan, visit the PABIC website.