Pakistani cotton will be disease free with Chinese technology

MULTAN: The Chinese and Pakistani audience swings when students wearing Balochi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Paktoon and Gilgitti cultural dresses present cultural dances in traditional dresses at the closing sessions of three days first Sino-Pak international conference on ‘Innovations in cotton, breeding and biotechnology’.

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan hosted the three-day conference, which concluded here followed by recommendations on Friday.

Chinese and Pakistani audiences really enjoyed the cultural night after the brainstorming sessions of conference.

Students from Punjab, Gilgit, Baluchistan, Sindh and Khaiber Pakhtoon Khawa studying at MNSUA presented their respective cultural dances and recognized the efforts of China’s friendship with Pakistan. The Chinese delegation participants responded warmly when cultural songs were sung.

The Chinese scripted play highly attracted the audience. The theme was doctors charging heavy fees at the cost of poor medical treatment. The Chinese play described how doctors force patients to buy costly medicine from their medical store.

The students from Punjab, Gilgit, Baluchistan, Sindh and Khaiber Pakhtoon Khawa also presented Ghazal night in respective languages.

The three days conference held seven sessions including three sessions held at MNSUA, two sessions held at Bahauddin Zakariyia University and two sessions held at Central Cotton Research Institute. More than 50 research papers were presented in all seven sessions.

The most successful aspects of the conference was holding Sino-Pak International conference yearly, Material Transfer Agreement between China and Pakistan in next two years and transfer of Chinese Genetic Engineering Technology and Functional Genomix Technology to Pakistan. The technologies have resistance against all types of cotton diseases.

Speaking at the concluding session MNSUA vice chancellor Prof Dr Asif Ali said that China has deep association of understanding with Pakistan in all fields. The completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would strengthen relations between both the countries. He said China is ready to extend his expertise in removing problems being faced by Pakistani cotton. Pakistan would have to use Chinese cotton technology in future.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asif Ali announced that MNSUA would host Sino-Pak international conference every year. He said the MNSUA would welcome other institutions can join the MNSUA in organizing the conference next year. He said the major objective of holding conference was using advanced Chinese technology in Pakistan and taking suitable measures in this regard making farmers prosperous and financially strong.

The vice chancellor said that the MNSUA was making efforts signing agreement with China on Material Transfer Agreement in the next two years. The Chinese technology would be transferred to agriculture stakeholders. The cotton is the prime crop of the country.

The Punjab Director Agriculture Research Dr Abid Mehmood said that Chinese and Pakistani scientists would jointly work to improve cotton crop and providing hybrid seed to farmers. The Chinese and Pakistani scientists would exchange visits to understand mutual problems.

Speaking at the conference Chinese scientist Dr Zhang Rui said that China has developed resistance varieties against all types of diseases by using Genetic Engineering and Functional Genomix Technologies. More 200 BT cotton varieties are cultivated in China and China is ready transferring those technologies to Pakistan.

A large numbers of scientists including Xiaofeng Su, Dr Ufuk Demirel (Turkey), Prof Dr Tahira Fatima (USA), CCRI Director Dr Zahid Mehmood, DR Hamad, DR Waqas Malik, Muhammad Aeslan Khan, Dr Zulfiqar Ali, Prof Dr Aftab Bashir of Lahore FC College University and others also spoke on the occasion.

The MNSUA vice chancellor Prof Dr Asif Ali distributed shields among guests at the end of conference.