Ministry of National Food Security and Research, and University of Agriculture Faisalabad in order to strictly observe the biosafety, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, vowed to further strengthen the coordination to arrest the growing pests and insect pathogens in the imported agriculture items causing billion of rupees loss to the national exchequer and posing numerous challenges to human, plants and livestock health, and depleting the environment.

The pledge was made during a three-member high ranking committee visit to the varsity for the assessment of technical capacity of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. The committee which was constituted by the National Biosafety Committee (NBC), Ministry of National Food Security and Research to examine the present capacity and indicate the loopholes in the befitting implementation of biosafety protocols at an organizational level.

Dr Syed Waseem-ul-Hassan Food Security Commissioner and DG Plant Protection heading the committee was flanked by Dr Syed M Saqlain Naqvi, Vice Chancellor, Bacha Khan University Charsadda, Dr Tayyab Husnain Director Centre for Excellence in Molecular Biology, Lahore and Assistant Director Plant Protection Allah Dita Abid.

The committee called on UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Iqbal Zafar and held meeting with Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). The committee also paid visit to Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security (CAS-AFS) and participated in a briefing on biosafety and one-health program. Director CAS-AFS Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan briefed the committee about biosafety measures in 12 research labs and other components of his Centre.

Addressing the meeting Food Security Commissioner and DG Plant Protection Dr Syed Waseem-ul-Hassan said that Pakistan as a responsible country is signatory among the 198 countries of the world regarding strict compliance of the International Plant Protection Convention.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017