By Ali Imran
RAWALPINDI: Experts from Asian & Pacific Network for Testing of Agricultural Machinery (ANTAM), UN Center for Sustainable Agriculture Mechanization (UN-CSAM), Engineers & Senior Management officers from Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and Punjab Agriculture Department Field Wing have visited, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) to collaborate for the establishment of agricultural machinery testing and standardization center at the university.
During the visit, Vice Chancellor, PMAS-AAUR, Prof. Dr. Qamar-uz-Zaman proposed to establish agricultural machinery testing facility and standardization and certification centers in different zones to promote agricultural mechanization in Pakistan.
The VC said that the agricultural machinery testing and standardization center would not only come up with a machinery performance rating system, but would guide the prospective users in the selection of agricultural machinery according to tested performance.
While highlighting the importance of this center, he said that providing better and standardized agricultural machinery to the farmers, it would also enable them to increase their per acre agricultural production. “Pakistan is currently facing a serious wheat crisis, to deal with and we have to take every step that will help us to deal with it,” he said.
After visiting laboratories, center for precision agriculture, engineering workshops and detail discussions, the delegation expressed keen interest for mutually collaboration in development of machinery testing and calibration procedures, formulation of standardization procedures and codes, skill development, capacity building of machinery operators, licensing, certification and introducing latest and emerging technologies with PMAS-AAUR.
Earlier last week, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) and Maldives National University have decided to collaborate in various fields. This collaboration was decided in 2022 when a delegation from the University of Maldives visited the Arid Varsity and expressed interest in agriculture degree program, Curriculum Preparation & teacher training.
In this regard, a team was formed under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Azam Khan, Chairman Department of Horticulture who visited Maldives in the first phase. Keeping in view their needs, short courses in agriculture were developed, in which admission to be held in the coming academic year.
Four faculty members of Maldives National University visited Pakistan from March 5 to March 16, 2023 for capacity building training. Training and practical sessions in agriculture among other courses were arranged for them along with practical sessions including field visits to University Research Farm Koont, ZTBL, NARC, and Fisheries Department Rawalpindi.
