Agriculture University Peshawar organized a 4-day international conference on “Food Security through Sustainable Plant Protection Strategies” where regional and international scholars called upon the universities and higher education centres to focus on food security and also hold regular conferences to provide a platform for experts to conduct research and experiments.
They said that the recommendations of the conferences should be shared with the government for incorporation in agriculture policies.
The inaugural ceremony of the conference was organized in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and Food and Agricultural Organization Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jahan Bakht while Special Secretary Higher Education Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dawood Khan was the chief guest on the occasion.
The chief guest Dawood Khan in his address paid tribute to Vice-Chancellor agriculture university Prof Dr Jahan Bakht and organizers, faculty, national and international experts and other participants and said that this is an important and useful international conference.
He said that safe and nutritious food is a basic need of individuals and nations, adding that insects and diseases affect food security and damage crops, leading to reduced food availability and increased prices.
Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Jahan Bakht in his address said that the conference brought together faculty, scholars and other experts to share their thoughts, research and experiences.
He said food and agriculture organization estimates that 20 to 40 percent of crop yields are lost due to pests and diseases and billions of dollars are lost annually worldwide. In addition, climate change is adversely affecting crops, so there is a need to reduce the impact of pests and diseases.
Thanking the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and CM KP Mahmood Khan for developing the agricultural sector and providing relief to the farmers, he said that they were taking a keen interest in the agriculture sector to provide substantial assistance to small farmers.
He said that efforts were being made under the Kisan cards initiative to solve the problems of farmers so that they could be provided good quality seeds, fertilizers and other crops, vegetables and fruits.
Program Convener Dean Prof Dr Ahmad-ur-Rehman thanked the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and the Food and Agricultural Organization for their cooperation in organizing the international conference.