LAHORE: Farmers have vehemently opposed the idea of converting MNS University into Southern Punjab Secretariat.In a statement issued here Saturday, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mehmood Khokhar said university was the only agriculture university in Southern Punjab to cater the academic needs of the students in agriculture and its allied sciences and playing a pivotal role in serving the farmers’ community of this region.The university has a broader focus to improve the agriculture sector in the Punjab. It has been conducting international and national conferences/ seminars/ workshops and strong farmers outreach programmes, he said.Southern Punjab is a hub of mango production; the university took initiative to celebrate mango festival in order to create awareness regarding exportable varieties of mango and exploring new potential markets, he added.On the desire of the growers the university has taken lead for transforming mango production system by ultra-high density plantation at least to double mango yield and bring them to exportable standards through training and demonstration, said Khokhar, adding that armers have already started registering with the University for Modern Mango Production System.He said, “I am also aware of many other innovated and applied research initiatives of the university on cotton, wheat, hydroponics, organic vegetable production, kitchen gardening for enhancing agricultural productivity, community service and environmental sustainability.”In this backdrop, the reports of taking the university’s blocks for establishing the secretariat will not be welcomed by farmers. Never in the history of Pakistan has a university been converted into a government secretariat, he said. The farmer’s community would never accept this secretariat at the cost of a university and would resent to its maximum. Kissan Ittehad will protest if it happens so, he concluded.
from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2Hd7s85
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