Agriculture teachers are in high demand

Chuck Miller didn’t let his students get by with just tossing out the phrase “hybrid vigor;” he challenged two of them to tell the class what it meant.>>>>More

NA body asks minister to resolve PARC chairman issue with PM

Published on November 30, 2010 by admin   ·   No Comments  
By Ijaz Kakakhel
ISLAMABAD: Like its previous three meetings regarding seeking the status of PARC incumbent chairman Dr Zafar Altaf, whose tenure expired on August 11 this year — the NA committee on Food and Agriculture has once again asked the Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture to take up the said issue with the Prime Minister (PM).>>>> More

Scenes from the Obama Visit: Agricultural Exposition

Jonathan Weisman, The Wall Street Journal’s White House reporter, is traveling with U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their three-day India visit. Here is his reporting from Mr. Obama’s visit on agricultural innovations in Mumbai. >>>>>> More

Wheat Advances as Dry Weather Threatens

 

Wheat Advances as Dry Weather Threatens U.S. Crop Development
Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) — Wheat futures advanced as dry weather in the growing regions of the U.S. threatened crop development in the world’s largest exporter. more >>>>>>>>>>>

Asia Grain Outlook: Prices Inching Towards 2008 Highs

SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)–Food prices are gradually moving towards record highs of 2008 due to tight supply, weather concerns in major exporting countries, strong demand in China and a continuing ban in India on wheat and non-basmati rice exports.  more >>>>>>>>>>>

Agriculture becomes the next big thing

What might Canada’s next great growth industry be? Smart phones, oil sands technology, aerospace, alternative energy, nuclear power, biotech? Each of those industries has a “been there, done that” feel about them, even if a couple of them could keep thriving for years to come. Agriculture is the one industry you might not even consider putting on the list. more >>>>>>>>>>>>

Record crop set for better returns

Martin Roth
Be selective when investing in the agribusiness sector to avoid disappointment.

 

Rising prices, growing demand and some global shortages have combined to propel the agribusiness sector into the investment spotlight. However, despite what appear to be excellent fundamentals, a paucity of quality stocks means local investors must be selective if they wish to become involved with this theme.

USDA to pay American Indian farmers

American Indian farmers who experienced discrimination in federal farm programs will share up to $680 million under a legal settlement announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

The government gives priority to the development in the Agricultural Sector

Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture  K.E.Karunarathne  said that the government  has given prominence to the development of the agricultural sector. In the year 2005 ,  Sri Lanka has imported  85 percent of its requirement of corn.  However  by last year,  Sri Lanka was able to produce  85 percent of its  corn requirement.  

ROC agricultural minister takes center stage at APEC

ROC Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung underscored measures for dealing with food and climate crises, as well as Taiwan’s contribution in this regard at the first APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security, which closed its doors in Niigata, Japan Oct. 17. 

Canada to support Pakistan in agriculture sector

ISLAMABAD Oct 16 (APP):  The Canadian Government on Saturday announced further support in agriculture sector for those affected by the recent floods in Pakistan.Minister of International Cooperation Canada Beverley J. Oda, in a news release issued here said the contribution responds to agricultural recovery needs by providing seeds, fertilizers, and tools and by supporting the rehabilitation of the land and livestock sector in Pakistan.

Gates Agriculture Grants Focus on Seeds, Climate

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Gates Foundation, which has donated $1.5 billion to agriculture in developing countries, is focusing more investments on seeds and technology to help small farmers adapt to climate change, the foundation's chief executive said on Thursday.

"Most of our grants support conventional breeding. But in certain instances we include biotechnology approaches because we believe they can help farmers confront drought, flooding, disease, or pests more effectively than conventional breeding alone," Jeff Raikes, chief executive of the foundation started by the billionaire founder of software giant Microsoft, said in a speech to the World Food Prize meeting.

Agriculture Groups Say Food Productivity Lagging

Oct 13 - Farmers around the world must ramp up food production dramatically to feed a rapidly expanding global population, a coalition of agricultural groups said in a report on Wednesday.

Meeting the needs of a global population estimated to jump roughly 50 percent to 9.2 billion by 2050, will require public and private investments in "science and technology" to boost agricultural productivity, the groups said.

"We need to do more with less and we must start implementing measures and policies that increase productivity today," said Bill Lesher, executive director of Global Harvest Initiative, the consortium of major agricultural companies, including Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto, DuPont and Deere & Co that issued the report.

The group developed the agricultural productivity report in conjunction with the Farm Foundation, NFP, a public policy group, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economics Research Service (ERS).

The report said doubling agricultural output to meet global demand by 2050 will require an annual average growth of at least 1.75 percent in "total factor productivity" - defined as the increase in output per unit of total resources employed in production. Between 2000 and 2007, USDA's ERS estimates global agricultural total factor productivity growth averaged 1.4 percent per year.

"To close the gap without additional land and resources, we must increase the rate of productivity growth an average of 25 percent more per year over the next 40 years," said Neil Conklin, president of the Farm Foundation.

The groups said rising per capita wealth will lead consumers in developing countries to increase not only the quantity but also the quality of food they consume.

Today, cereals and root and tuber crops make up more than 60 percent of the global diet, but by 2050 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization expects those staples will make up only 54 percent of food consumption, while animal proteins like meat and dairy, and vegetable oils will rise to nearly 40 percent of the global diet from about one-third today.

The groups said increased agricultural production should not be pursued by bringing more land into production and using more water or chemicals but through increased backing for technology that increases crop yields. They cited the need for strategies to use water more efficiently and improve infrastructure for water distribution, as well as improving labor productivity through mechanization.

"We have 40 years in which to double agricultural output, but we have to do it in a sustainable fashion with the same amount of land, less water and reduced inputs," said Lesher.  

Reuters

Major Boost in Agricultural Productivity Needed

With global population expected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050, food production will need to double worldwide. Meeting this challenge without causing more environmental damage—cutting down rain forest, for example, or using more groundwater—will be even harder. Farmers do tend to become more productive over time, but a new report released today finds that they will need to make much more progress—boosting their rate of efficiency gains by 25%. 

"It's a rather daunting task," says Keith Fuglie, an economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., and co-author of the report. Major increases in agricultural research, among other investments, will be needed to do the job, he says. "Countries that have invested more in research have been the ones that have had the best record" of efficiency gains.

The report comes from the Global Harvest Initiative, a consortium of large agribusiness companies and global conservation groups, which contracted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Farm Foundation, a non-profit. Fuglie calculated the "total factor productivity" for every country, comparing the amount of food produced with all the inputs needed, such as land, labor, fuel, and chemicals. He found that on average between 2000 and 2007, farm productivty worldwide has been increasing by 1.4% per year.

Fuglie also calculated that agriculture, averaged around the world, will need to become 1.75% more productive each year in order to double output without any more inputs. Because the bulk of population growth will happen in the next 2 decades, major efficiency gains are needed sooner rather than later, says co-author Neil Conklin of the Farm Foundation in Oak Brook, Illinois. "There has to be a big push now."

One reason for urgency is the long time between investing in agricultural R&D, such as plant breeding, and the eventual payoff on farms. Another problem is that climate change, which was not considered in the analysis, could reduce the amount of land and water available for farming and impact yields.

Julian Alston, an economist at the University of California, Davis, agrees that boosting agricultural efficiency is critical. But Alston, who was not involved in the report, suspects that the challenge may be even greater than depicted in the new report. Alston's research suggests that global productivity has been slowing down, not increasing.

The Global Harvest Initiative plans to release annual follow-up reports on global productivity. 
Sciencemag

Agric, our saivour... Veep declares

The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, yesterday attributed the country's economic success to the prudent investments the government had made in agriculture.

He said as a result of the sound policy pursued by the government, the
agricultural sector had succeeded largely in bringing down inflation and stabilising other economic indicators.

Opening the second National Food and Agriculture Show (FAGRO 2010) on the theme: "Sustainable Agriculture Through Appropriate Technology" in Accra yesterday, the Vice-President said "this is in addition to other prudent economic measures put in place by the government".

Exhibitors from Ghana, some neighbouring African countries, Europe and the United States of America are participating in the one-week fair.

The National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association, Feedmillers Association, the Women in Agriculture Development Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and New Holland Tractors are among local exhibitors participating in the fair.

On display at the various stands are farm produce, processed products, animal feeds, local dishes and farming machinery.

Some of the food items include unpolished rice, dried mangoes, herbal medicines, natural cocoa powder, mash and concentrate animal feeds, tractors and harvesters.

The exhibition is being organised by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to empower participants to invest in new technologies and knowledge that would be of benefit to Ghana's agriculture.

It is also expected to raise the level of knowledge in certain business sectors and portray development impact as employment, improved working conditions and improved environmental standards.

There will be seminars and lectures during the exhibition.

Many of the exhibitors expressed joy at the attendance on the first day as some of them had already sold out some of their items.

The Vice-President said over the years the continent was made to assume that food production was limitless without much attention paid to farmers.

That, he said, had culminated in many African countries relying heavily on food importation, stressing that with the current "rethink of agriculture", the country was gradually accepting to invest in agriculture.

The Vice-President said the major reforms undertaken by the government to invest heavily in agriculture had yielded considerable results, particularly in the production of cereals.

Plans by the government, he said, were underway to launch heavy investment in agriculture with special focus on medium and large-scale farmers.

The Vice-President said in spite of the significant achievement, the nation's agriculture was still rudimentary and stressed the need to move into technology as a way of preparing the sector to reach its optimum.

On technology, the Vice-President expressed concern about how technology had not been commercialised and called on scientists to market their innovations instead of leaving them on the shelves to gather dust.

Mr Mahama condemned the rate of smuggling of subsidised fertilisers, particularly along the borders, and predicted a dare consequence for those involved in that economic sabotage.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, in a speech, read on his behalf, said the ministry was currently testing appropriate mechanised technology options for harvesting crops, particularly maize and rice, for various production ecosystems in the country.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, said the government's "Better Ghana" agenda could only be achieved if investment was made in the agricultural sector.

The President of National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association of Ghana, Mr Philip Abayori, said the nation's traditional production methods and technology being used by farmers and fishermen were either outmoded or inefficient and, therefore, making "our cost of production very high".

Source: Daily Graphic

Cargill Profit Jumps 68% on Agriculture Volatility

(Bloomberg) -- Cargill Inc., the grain distributor that’s the largest closely held company in the U.S., said first- quarter profit rose 68 percent as volatility increased across agricultural commodity markets.

 

Net income climbed to $883 million in the three months ended Aug. 31 from $525 million a year earlier, the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company said today in a statement. Excluding earnings from its majority stake in crop-nutrient producer Mosaic Co., profit gained 51 percent to $693 million. Sales climbed 6 percent to $27.8 billion.

 
Cargill said its unit that buys, processes and distributes agricultural commodities saw results rise “significantly” on renewed market volatility. Wheat futures gained 50 percent in Chicago trading during the quarter, corn rose 22 percent and soybeans gained8 percent.

“We had gone for a year with markets moving relatively range-bound,” Lisa Clemens, a Cargill spokeswoman, said in an interview today. “Things began to change in June and July. Volatility provides both risk and opportunity.”

Earnings from Cargill’s food ingredients and applications unit were up “moderately,” the company said. Profit declined at the agriculture services unit because of “seasonality.”

“The quarter that precedes the harvest is the slower among the four,” Clemens said.

Earnings from Cargill’s risk-management and finance unit were lower because of energy markets, which in contrast to agricultural commodities “are moving by a smaller amount, up and down in a smaller range,” Clemens said.

--Editors: Simon Casey, Steven Frank

To contact the reporter on this story: Simon Casey in London at scasey4@bloomberg.net

SA risks losing farming crown

SA could lose its leading position in agriculture on the continent if the government “makes mistakes with regard to agriculture”, Deputy Agriculture Minister Pieter Mulder said.

SA COULD lose its leading position in agriculture on the continent if the government “makes mistakes with regard to agriculture”, Deputy Agriculture Minister Pieter Mulder said yesterday .

“African countries north of SA have much more agricultural potential than SA . 

“These countries have above average rainfall, better land quality and a warmer climate,” he said at a Grain SA function.

If the government made mistakes in agriculture, SA “could easily lose its position as a leader in this area”. 

It had already been proven this year in the field of grain production that countries such as Zambia and Malawi, traditional importers of grain from SA, would be self-sufficient this year.

“Uncertainty about land reform and the current South African debates about nationalisation do not help to make SA more competitive than these African states.

“Let us learn from the mistakes which other African states had made … and let us not repeat them,” Mr Mulder said.

One of the big agricultural difficulties which prevented African countries from competing on an equal footing with other continents was fragmentation. Nearly 85% of all agriculture in Africa took place on farms smaller than 2ha. 

Without co-operation plans, these farmers could never obtain the advantages that economies of scale offered.

In the US , only 4% of all farms were smaller than 2ha , and in Brazil, a developing country like SA, 11% of farms were smaller than 2ha.

 businessday.co.za

Agriculture possesses greater potential for Africa’s transformation’

Agriculture and agri-business have been identified by as vehicle that offer the biggest transformational potential for Africa, with an even greater positive impact on ordinary people’s lives than the mobile phone boom.

At an investor forum organised by Africa investor, weekend, the world Bank Vice President for Africa Ms Obiageli Ezekwesili said “If you ask me what the next ‘big thing’ in Africa will be, I’d say without hesitation agriculture and agri-business,” The World Bank is bullish on Africa,” Ms Ezekwesili told participants at the summit, which took place alongside the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Africa is “on the cusp of an economic transformation”, summit participants noted, suggesting that the continent is probably at the same point where India and China were 20 and 30 years ago respectively, just before their own economic take-off.

“We can now boldly say with confidence that Africa has awakened, Ms Ezekwesili said. “Her time has not only come but that continent is actually the future.” Mobile phones which today serve 450 million Africans (i.e. more than the US, Canada and Mexico combined have proven the most liberating asset for the poor, who use it not only for communication but also as a social, economic, banking and even political tool. 

Its impact however, could prove to be minor, compared to the massive potential inherent in the agriculture sector. Agriculture currently accounts for about 40 per cent of the region’s GDP and is a source of jobs and livelihoods for 70 per cent of Africans. With only one-fourth of its arable land currently in use, contributing a mere 10 per cent to global food production, it is clear that Africa’s enormous potential essentially lies fallow.

The most dividends in agriculture and the agribusiness sector—as with mobile phones—will accrue for the “early bird” investors, Ezekwesili said.

A holistic approach is needed if the modernization of Africa’s agriculture sector is to raise productivity, ensure food security, expand exports, raise incomes and profoundly improves living conditions in rural Africa, she noted.

According to Ezekwesili, smallholder farmers must gain access, not only to more productive seeds and other farm inputs, but also to finance, irrigation, research and technology. Equally important are land reforms, the building and maintenance of adequate infrastructure (farm_to_market roads, for example), and the implementation of effective post_harvest marketing strategies.

At another forum on Africa can trade with Africa in Which Tony Elumelu Former UBA Managing Director was a panelist, the panelist agreed that there is strong consensus among African leaders that regional integration is indispensable to unlock economies of scale and sharpen competitiveness. And promoting intra_African trade has emerged as a top priority, in recognition that the African market of one billion consumers can be a powerful engine for growth and employment.

According to them despite the introduction of free trade areas, customs unions, and common markets within the Region, the level of intra_African trade remains among the lowest in the world __ only about 10 per cent of African trade is within the continent, compared to about 40 per cent in North America and about 60 per cent in Western Europe.

The discussion at the seminar drilled into the actions that are required to accelerate intra_African trade. The most important message was the need for stronger implementation of political commitments under existing regional trade agreements. Pravin Gordhan, the South African Minister of Finance, acknowledged that governments have fallen short on some of the difficult political actions that are required to enhance regional integration, like the overlapping membership in regional economic communities. There was a strong sense that African leaders need to be held accountable for their performance against agreed commitments as a result the participants urged Maxwell Mkwezalamba from the African Union to hold a summit with heads of state this year to agree on a time-bound action plan to fulfill their regional integration agreements.

The discussion also stressed the urgency to diversify economies beyond natural resource extraction and agriculture. But to break into manufacturing, countries will need to strengthen their competitiveness by enacting policy reform to ensure more competitive markets for transport and trade facilitation, improving the efficiency of government agencies at the border, and addressing behind-the-border trade constraints to promote value addition, increase productivity, and undertake infrastructure investments that reduce the costs of inputs.

Bill Egbe, the President of Coca Cola in South Africa, estimated that they would only need about half of the current 163 plants in Africa if internal trade barriers were removed and transport services were improved – think of the huge efficiency gains here that could be redeployed for investment in new areas!

Given the central role of the private sector, the seminar noted the continued importance of improving the investment climate and reducing the cost of doing business—not only for large multinational and pan_African companies, but also for SMEs and the informal sector. Tony Elumelu, who recently retired as Chief Executive of the United Bank for Africa, flagged the need for more innovative approaches to monetize the assets, build the capacity, and enhance the productivity of small and informal enterprises, particularly in the agriculture sector.

Several panelists emphasized the synergy between intra_regional trade and global trade integration, particularly the critical importance of development-friendly trade agreements with global partners that provide broad and comprehensive market access. Two innovative proposals to incentivize trade cooperation were floated. 

Rosa Whitaker, one of the original architects of AGOA, outlined a series of proposed US tax incentives to award investors who invest in Africa or retailers who source products from Africa. And Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion, made a very compelling case for a “Super AGOA” that would grant Africa preferential market access across the entire OECD. Right on! vanguardngr.com

The mystery of agriculture tax

Hillary Clinton’s recent comments on the tax policies of Pakistan were not received very well in the country. Some sections of society viewed it as an attack on the country’s sovereignty. The reaction to the statement is quite understandable, keeping in view Uncle Sam’s public image

 

It is no secret that feudal lords and wealthy landowners, who literally enjoy a controlling share of the country’s resources and the political system, are the poorest when it comes to paying taxes. The agriculture sector contributes around 22 percent to the country’s GDP; however, its share in the total tax collection is negligible. Agriculture policies seem to be one of the few issues upon which all the military and political rulers agree. This alliance was quite evident in the case of land reforms. The issue was finally decided by a Supreme Court Shariat Appellate Bench in 1989, declaring land reforms un-Islamic. Land reforms are widely debated in the country even today. However, the focus of this article is on the issue of agricultural income tax.

The fact that legislation for agricultural income tax exists might come as a surprise for most readers. The usual discussions on the topic revolve around demands from the economists and social workers to bring the feudal landlords into the tax net.

Agriculture tax was made a provincial subject under the 1973 constitution. The lack of political will on the issue is evident from the fact that no legislation was ever carried out by any of the four provinces until 1993, when the NWFP Agricultural Income Tax Ordinance was promulgated. Ironically, the said ordinance did not even provide the definition of agricultural income. The other three provinces also subsequently passed similar laws. In Punjab, agricultural income tax was levied in 1997 through the Punjab Agricultural Income Tax Act.

Though agricultural income tax is the sole prerogative of the provinces under the constitution, all of the four provinces lack the political will and the machinery to collect it. Total federal tax collection for the year 2009 was around Rs 1,380 billion. During the year, Punjab collected around one billion rupees through agricultural income tax and the amount collected by Sindh was around Rs 200 million (Sindh’s share in the country’s agriculture can be estimated at around 20-25 percent). A mere Rs 1.8 billion were collected by all the four provinces combined. In 2008, Punjab collected only Rs 0.7 billion and around Rs 0.71 billion was collected in 2007. The pattern for previous years is also quite similar.

The sector possesses a minimum revenue potential of around Rs 250-300 billion, considering the current GDP to tax ratio and the tax rate. Considerable ‘benevolence’ for the sector has already been shown by the lawmakers while setting the tax rate. According to the legislation carried out by provinces on income exceeding Rs 300,000, an amount of Rs 22,500 plus 15 percent of the amount exceeding Rs 300,000 is to be paid as tax. For income of Rs 200,000 to Rs 300,000, the fixed amount is to be Rs 12,500 and 10 percent of the amount exceeding Rs 200, 000. It should be noted that these rates were set by the governments at a time when corporate taxes were as high as 50 percent. Even today, these are considerably lower than the corporate tax level of around 35 percent.

The government’s patronisation of the sector has actually kept it from standing firm on its own and has given way to further inefficiencies. It should be stressed that already more than 65 percent of the country’s population is involved in the agriculture sector. That is one of the highest in the world. In the US, around three percent and in the UK around one percent of the population is involved in the agriculture sector. In Brazil, around 20 percent are employed in the agriculture sector. The figure that was 62 percent in 1950s has come to the present level with the development of its economy. How to productively utilise the workforce freed as a result of mechanisation and improvement in agricultural practices is a topic that requires detailed discussion but these statistics do highlight the inherent inefficiencies of the sector.

It is not by coincidence that most developed countries around the globe enjoy a very high tax to GDP ratio compared to the developing ones. Countries like Belgium and Austria enjoy a tax to GDP ratio of as high as 45 percent. The logic is quite simple: in order to finance their hefty budgets, they need a solid revenue stream. If governments fail to match their revenues to expenditures, alternative avenues like debt financing, money supply manipulation, etc, might be used.

Hillary Clinton’s recent comments on the tax policies of Pakistan were not received very well in the country. Some sections of society viewed it as an attack on the country’s sovereignty. The reaction to the statement is quite understandable, keeping in view Uncle Sam’s public image. However, it does not alter the fact that Pakistan enjoys a tax to GDP ratio of around 9.6 percent, which is one of the lowest in the world. The elite of the country indeed contribute very little to the government’s revenue stream. The reasons that enable them to escape the tax net range from political shrewdness to a corrupt system.

As a result, Pakistan’s government, like many other developing nations, has to frequently look toward international agencies and countries like the US to finance its fiscal gap. The spiral of foreign debt repayment through further borrowing has resulted in the country’s foreign debt soaring to an alarming level of $ 55.6 billion.

The provincial governments that are already facing a dire financial crunch need to forcefully implement the law that has been shelved for so many years. Though the current agricultural income tax rate is very minimal, still its implementation can provide the provinces, especially Sindh and Punjab, with much-needed revenues. Moreover, it can ease the financial burden on the federal government as well.

Currently, the agriculture income tax is collected through provincial revenue departments. The established procedures provide local patwaris the opportunity to tailor the tax returns according to the wishes of the wealthy landowners. It is quite evident that the provinces lack the ability and machinery to collect such taxes and long-term investments might be needed in the infrastructure. However, the collection can be outsourced to federal board of revenue at a fixed percentage or amount. The dream of self-sufficiency cannot be realised without fully utilising the potential of our economy.

The writer is a graduate of Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. He can be reached at usmanshami@yahoo.com

University of Califonia Experts for measures to sustain production of 'kinno'

Agriculture experts have revealed that the greening disease of citrus fruit has threatened survival of "kinno" in the main citrus producing countries and called for preventive measures to sustain production of the fruit.

Professor Mark S Hoddle, Resource Person University of California USA Riverside, said California and Punjab have similar climatic conditions for agricultural practices and this is an appropriate time to boost mutual co-operation in the field of collaborative research in order to build bridges for the betterment of mankind.

Professor Hoddle said that on his way back to USA, he would convey this soft and mild message to the scientific community for more collaborative and joint ventures in the field of agriculture and livestock with Pakistan, reported a web-site of agricultural news on Tuesday.

Another expert Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) said citrus fruit is being cultivated in more than 100 countries of the world and it is the second highest horticulture crop after grapes. He highlighted that a disease-free citrus nursery project, in collaboration with US, is running at UAF under his supervision, saying it is the only way to ensure survival of "Kinno" which is under life threat due to the greening disease.

Dr Iqrar said UAF developed this virus free plants nursery in order to gradually replace infected plants of "Kinno" orchards and asked the scientists to redesign Integrated Pest Management (IPM) mechanisms to obtain organic fruits and vegetables. Concluding, he said "Kinno" is not only the most delicious and juicy fruit, but also a cheap source of vitamin supplement for common man in Pakistan.

Professor Dr Muhammad Ashfaq, Dean Faculty of Agriculture said plant protection mechanism needs to be revamped and it is the duty of entomologists to shift their focus from chemical controls to biological control. He said UAF has developed practicable and affordable rearing technique of farmer friendly biological agents in order to maintain the bio-diversity. Professor Dr Anjum Sohail, Chairman Department of Agri. Entomology hoped that by the visits of foreign scientists, they would be able to redesign plant protection strategies in accordance with the modern practices.


Source: beta.brecorder.com