KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi inaugurates second agricultural festival

KARACHI: The Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi inaugurated the second three-day long agricultural festival at the experimental field of the agriculture and agribusiness management department on Thursday.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, he emphasized that although Pakistan claims to be an agricultural country with an economy based on agriculture, in reality, it cannot even produce enough to meet its own needs and has to import food products.

He believed that modern technology could revolutionize the agricultural sector, make Pakistan self-sufficient in agricultural production, and enable it to export surplus produce. The KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi stressed that innovation in farming techniques and meaningful research are essential. He added that self-sufficiency in agriculture is crucial for any nation’s self-reliance.

He appreciated the department of agriculture and agribusiness management for arranging the agricultural festival and mentioned that the visits of industrialists, manufacturers, farmers, and others would help in interacting with faculty and students and hopefully, they would work as a team to produce fruitful results.

Later, the KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi toured various crop fields and observed the youth’s potential. He visited sunflowers, maize, tomatoes, dragon fruit, and pumpkins. He expressed hope that these initiatives would offer researchers and students valuable practical learning experiences.

He noted that the youth have immense potential and need encouragement and opportunities to thrive. He was pleased to see students engaged in research and practical work on different crops and anticipated positive outcomes from their efforts. He also visited various stalls set up at the festival.

The KU Chairman of Department of Agriculture and Agribusiness Management Dr Faheem Akbar shared that the festival featured stalls selling seeds, pesticides, sprays, and other agricultural products. Additionally, he mentioned that the entire process of making jaggery from sugarcane will be demonstrated live for the next six days.

He stated that the crops planted in the experimental fields were for research purposes, providing students with opportunities to work and conduct research practically alongside their studies. He highlighted the importance of awareness among farmers about the numerous services offered by the State Bank and other banks regarding agricultural financing.

The representatives of various banks were also invited to the festival to educate farmers about agricultural finance, allowing academia, students, and farmers to benefit from each other’s experiences and modern farming techniques.

A faculty member, Dr Shahan Aziz mentioned that the three-day festival would also include workshops, seminars, technical sessions, and panel discussions to provide students with maximum learning opportunities from farmers and agricultural experts in the field.

The faculty of agriculture and agribusiness management department said that this event showcases the University of Karachi’s commitment to advancing agricultural education and research, empowering future generations with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to the country’s agricultural development.