LAHORE - The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore and Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute (PRFRI), Guangzhou, China, have agreed to promote cooperation in the field of research and debvelopment in Fisheries sector.
The agreement was signed during a recent visit of a four member delegation of Chinese Institute to the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore during which the Chinese experts met the Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha and senior professors.
The delegation comprised PRFRI Director General Liu Yingjie, Dr Xinping Zhu, Director Scientific Officer Cunbin Shi and Researcher Ms Xi Yan while Dean Faculty of Fisheries and Wildlife Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf, Deans Veterinary Science Prof Dr Khusi Muhammad, Dean Biosciences Prof Dr Habib-ur-Rehman, Chairman Microbiology Department Prof Masood Rabbani, Director Oric Prof Dr Mansur Din and Dr Noor Khan were also present.
The Vice-Chancellor briefed the delegation on the academic, research and training programmes of the UVAS.
He said that university is focusing on problem-oriented applied research.
Presently, the UVAS faculty members are working on 64 research projects worth Rs 734 million won from national and international funding agencies.
He said that the university is offering postgraduate MPhil and PhD programs in 31 disciplines besides its graduate and under-graduate degree courses.
He said that the UVAS is promoting linkages with international institutions for quality education and research.
He said that university wants to initiate more joint programmes with the Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute to benefit from the Chinese expertise. He said that the UVAS has taken many academic and research initiatives for the development of fisheries sector. He said that it is moving towards intensive culture system of fish and encouraging private sector for investment on this sector.
The delegation also discussed with the UVAS professors the possibilities of intensive fish culture, site requirements, feasibility studies, investigation of local turtle resources and possible locations for turtle culture and future planning.
A UVAS delegation of professors will visit China in near future to have more discussions on joint programmes. Two UVAS faculty members are also scheduled to go to China early next year for Postdoct training under this project. Similarly both the sides agreed to exchange students for academic and training programmes.
The UVAS had signed an MoU with the Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute last year for academic exchanges, research cooperation, and joint work on sustainable utilization and management of fisheries resources, fisheries eco-environment protection and aquatic product quality and safety, semi-intensive and intensive fish farming, aquatic germplasm resource and genetic breeding, high yield techniques of fish farming and nutrition research on floating and sinking feeds for fish and shrimp, turtle farming, fish seed hatching, and fish farm management, etc. The UVAS and Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute are also working on fish disease diagnosis and their control. They are also sharing information and knowledge on fresh water fisheries.