FAISALABAD City News

‘Child malnutrition a serious threat’
From Our Correspondent
FAISALABAD: Speakers at a workshop have said that child malnutrition is a serious threat to the country.
The two-day international workshop on “Bio-fortification of staple crops: a solution to combat malnutrition” was organised by the UAF Department of Agronomy here on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that 2 billion people in the world were suffering from various forms of malnutrition. He said that genetically modified (GM) crops should be adopted to address the malnutrition and food security issues at the global level. He stressed the need for diet diversification coupled with micronutrients to address the issue. He said that the British Centre was contributing a lot in various areas with the collaborative support in the fields of bioenergy, social sciences and livestock breading.
Prof Martin Broadley of the University of Nottingham said that bio-fortification of staple crop was need of the hour, particularly keeping in view the hazards of malnutrition being faced by the developing countries. He said that the malnutrition put the children at greater risk of dying from common infections. He said that poor nutrition could be addressed through enrichment of plants with micronutrients, liquid zinc and selenium. Dean Faculty of Agriculture Dr Muhammad Arshad said that the food security and nutritional demand could be met through bio-fortification of micronutrients in crops.
Agronomy Chairman Dr Ahsanullah said that more than 30 million people died annually due to the malnutrition globally while 60 per cent of the world population was facing iron deficiency, 30 per cent zinc and 30 per cent iodine deficiency respectively. Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik of the FC College University urged the need for a nutritional campaign at the national level to sensitize the general public regarding malnutrition. Dr Sardar Aleem Cheema and others also spoke on the occasion.
Meanwhile, a five-day Lyallpur Art and Literature Festival began at the UAF. Students from 26 universities of the country were taking part in the festival.
The festival featured Qirat and Naat competition, Model United Nation (MUN) Parliamentary contest, folk songs competition, painting competition, folk dance competition, quiz competition, drama competition, documentary competition and search and click photography competition.