ISLAMABAD (February 21 2004): Australia and Pakistan has decided to co-operate in the field of agricultural research including raised bed technology and best prescription to waterlogged and saline lands.

In this connection a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) for co-operation in the field of wheat and maize production system by adopting raised bed technology has been signed.

Dr Badaruddin Soomro, Chairman, PARC, on behalf of Pakistan while Dr Tony Fischer, Representative, ACIAR signed the agreement on behalf of Australian government.

Under the MoU, initially, experimental trials will be started in NWFP through collaborative project to be operated by the Centre of Excellence (CE), the Water resources Research Institute (WRRI) of the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia.

Dr Badaruddin Soomro said that wherever farmers have utilised modern agricultural techniques the quality and quantity of production has invariably gone up tremendously.

He said that the research is going on after problem of waterlogging and salinity occurred in the country.

He said that despite efforts by experts for reclamation of soil still the two problems have not yet been tackled effectively.

Dr Soomro said PARC has played a pioneering role in strengthening research on saline agriculture in Pakistan.

He said PARC and ACIAR collaborative efforts will help increase economic returns to the farmers by improving productivity of existing salt affected lands.

Dr Tony Fischer, the ACIAR Representative, while signing the MoU said that in Australia the problems of salinity and water use efficiency are emerging in our irrigated lands.

So the more areas can be irrigated with the similar water input, he added. He told that this project Water Resources Research Institute at NARC has been identified for a scientific collaboration between the two countries.

In fact the project will further strengthen PARC-ACIAR collaboration which we had for the last almost two decades through Western Australia, he added.

Courtesy Business Recorder