FAISALABAD: Chief Scientist Entomology Department of Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) Dr Qurban Ali said that timely control of crop pests was imperative to overcome the challenge of national food security.
Addressing a meeting of Annual Research Program 2023-24 of Entomology Department AARI on Wednesday, he said the AARI scientists were striving hard to introduce new techniques along with development of such pesticides which could help the farmers control pest attack in-time before the damage to the crops.
He said the AARI entomologists had so far completed 53 projects from the inception of AARI and introduced 1619 pesticides and insecticides which were very effective for timely control of pest attack on the crops.
He said that 64 experiments on crop pests would also be conducted in AARI laboratories till coming Rabi season so that the new strategy could be evolved for speedy control of pests before their attack on the crops.
Progressive farmer Javaid Ahmad, renowned entomologists Muhammad Saleem Waince, Dr Dilbar Hussain, Dr Faisal Hafeez, Dr Imran Nadeem, Muhammad Bilal, Dr Amir Rasool and Asad Aslam also spoke on the occasion.
Chief Scientist Horticulture Department AARI Malik Allah Bukhsh, Director Agriculture (Extension) Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Deputy Director Research Information Faisalabad Dr Asif Ali and others were also present in the meeting.