Call to enhance academia-industry linkages to ensure food security in country

FAISALABAD: UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan emphasised the need to enhance academia-industry linkages to ensure food security in Pakistan.Addressing researchers from the Department of Entomology at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), representatives from Punjab government and agro-industry stakeholders here, Prof Sarwar Khan highlighted the agriculture sector’s challenges, including pest attacks, low productivity, water scarcity and deteriorating soil health.

He stressed that joint efforts at the national level were crucial to tackling these issues, adding that the UAF was taking proactive measures to address them.

Chairman of Department of Entomology Prof Dr Waseem Akram called for the development of refined crop models through academia-industry coordination. He also proposed including representatives from public and private sectors in the department’s Board of Studies (BoS) to improve research quality and upgrade academic curricula.

Crop Life Pakistan Chairman Rasheed Ahmad emphasised strengthening communication between faculty, industry representatives and farmers to address field-level challenges effectively. Suggestions from other experts included splitting internship hours across departments, developing crop-specific management models for fruits and oilseed crops, and adjusting internship schedules to align with peak agricultural activity periods.

The meeting concluded with recommendations for naming labs after funding organisations to promote sponsorships, following the example of the Nestle Hall at UAF.

FOUR KILLED IN ACCIDENTS: Four people lost their lives and as many others, including two children, sustained injuries in different road accidents here.

In the first incident, 45-year-old Khalid was killed and his 10-year-old son Abdullah and eight-year-old daughter Wajiha were injured in a collision involving a motorcycle and an unidentified vehicle on Samundri-Rajana Road near Zia Market. The injured were shifted to the THQ Hospital for treatment.

In the second incident, a fruit-laden motorcycle-rickshaw overturned due to a tyre burst at Sadhar Bypass, resulting in the death of 35-year-old driver Amjad and injuries to another passenger Aslam.

In the third incident, motorcyclist Ashfaq Ahmed (35) was killed when his shawl got entangled in the vehicle’s chain on Bagh-e-Jinnah Road.In the fourth incident, 50-year-old Shaukat Ali died and 19-year-old Talha sustained injuries after being hit by a motorcycle on Jaranwala Road near Bijli Ghar.

EIGHT ARRESTED IN TRIPLE MURDER CASE: Police have detained eight suspects, including four women, in connection with the murder of three brothers and the injury of another at Tandlianwala.

On the instructions of the CPO, a special team raided a house on Satiana Road linked to a private TV cameraman and apprehended the suspects. While the suspects are in custody, police remain tight-lipped about their arrest status. Investigation is under way.

Missing boy found dead in Faisalabad: The body of a 13-year-old boy, missing for four days, was found hanging in a shop at Tandlianwala.Police reported that Shahzaib, who worked at a local grocery store, had been missing since last week. His body was discovered in a storage room, with signs of strangulation suggesting foul play. The shopkeeper identified as Mashhoodur Rehman allegedly tried to stage the incident as a suicide. Police have registered a murder case and arrested the suspect.In another incident, 70-year-old Nazir Bakhsh was beaten to death with bricks by two unidentified motorcyclists near his makeshift shelter at Riaz Shahid Chowk.