Dr Kang, while welcoming the delegation, elaborated on the on-going research, teaching and extension education programmes at PAU and highlighted the role played by it towards national food security. He highlighted the economic and ecological constraints prevailing in agriculture. He said that PAU had inked MoUs for collaboration with a number of reputed institutes/universities in different parts of world. Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman, Additional Director of Communication, deliberated on the organisational set-up of PAU and highlighted the prioritised programmes vis-a-vis current scenario of Punjab agriculture.

Anatoly N. Golovko, Vice-President, Doctor of Veterinary Sciences, Professor, Academician at Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences (UAAS), made a presentation on Ukrainian agriculture. “Agriculture is an important activity of Ukrainian economy with 48 million population in the heart of Europe”, said Golovko, adding that wheat and sunflower were important crops in addition to animal husbandry comprising 6.5 million pigs, 200 million birds.

He said that there were 23 universities catering to agricultural needs of the country. Outlining the UAAS, he said that it had a special national status with about 13,000 persons working in it. He said that farm machines, distance learning, visit of Punjabi farmers and students to Ukraine can be potential areas for collaboration between UAAS and PAU.