Hyderabad: Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam and Sri Lankan academic institutions have agreed to strengthen academic cooperation through faculty exchange and joint agricultural research, focusing on rice, fruit crops and other agricultural commodities facing similar pest and disease challenges in both countries.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between SAU Vice Chancellor Engr. Prof. Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal and Dr. Amani Mannakkara, Senior Lecturer at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, who is visiting the university under the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Program supported by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.
According to the SAU spokesperson Gul Sher Lochi, dean of the faculty of crop protection Prof. Dr. Abdul Mubeen Lodhi and the chairman of the department of entomology Prof. Dr. Imran Khatri were also present.
The meeting focused on developing long-term collaboration in agricultural research, particularly on insect pests affecting rice and horticultural crops, which continue to cause production losses in both countries.
The two sides agreed to promote joint research projects, faculty and postgraduate student exchanges, scientific publications, comparative studies and the exchange of research material, technical expertise and innovative crop-protection technologies.
Speaking on the occasion, vice chancellor Prof. Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal said SAU was expanding its research portfolio in line with changing climatic conditions and future agricultural needs. He said the university was conducting research on a range of crops, fruits and tree species including coconut, apple, sandalwood, teak, oil palm, olive and jackfruit, with the objective of promoting climate-resilient and diversified agriculture.
He said Pakistan and Sri Lanka shared common agricultural challenges, particularly fruit flies affecting horticultural crops and insect pests damaging rice production. Closer collaboration between researchers, he added, would facilitate the development of sustainable solutions through integrated pest management (IPM), biological control, pest surveillance, insect ecology and environment friendly crop-protection practices.
Dr. Amani Mannakkara said the University of Ruhuna was keen to undertake collaborative research with the SAU on rice and horticultural crops and to benefit from the university’s expertise in pulses, onion and other agricultural commodities. She described international faculty exchange programs as an effective platform for strengthening scientific cooperation, academic excellence and institutional partnerships between the two countries.
The participants also agreed to enhance technical cooperation through faculty mobility, postgraduate research collaboration, exchange of scientific knowledge and the development of joint projects addressing shared agricultural challenges.
Prof. Dr. Abdul Mubeen Lodhi and Prof. Dr. Imran Khatri briefed the meeting about the academic program arranged for the visiting scholar. During her stay, Dr. Mannakkara will interact with faculty members and postgraduate researchers, deliver lectures on integrated pest management, insect ecology, research methodology and sustainable crop-protection strategies, and also visit laboratories and agricultural research facilities at the university.