ISLAMABAD: The Citrus Fest is being planned jointly by the University of Sargodha and COMSTECH, and it will be inaugurated at COMSTECH.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Sargodha Prof. Dr. Qaisar Abbas welcomed the participants of the inaugural event. He stated that this is the first citrus show staged in Islamabad.
Prof. Qaisar Abbas provided a brief history of the University of Sargodha, stating that the university is unique in that it comprises faculties in both medicine and agriculture. He mentioned that they had initiated a project to investigate the scientific qualities of citrus fruit.
Prof. Abbas stated that 45 varieties of citrus fruit were presented at today’s exhibition, and he promised that more varieties would be displayed the following year. Prof. Abbas suggested that we have citrus fruit, but we must develop value-added items from this magical fruit for export.
Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General of COMSTECH, stated that the University of Sargodha plays an important role as a member of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence, has offered fellowships to students from OIC states, and has placed many scholars at the university.
According to Prof. Choudhary, citrus is a highly nutritious fruit. He emphasized the importance of studying the therapeutic characteristics of this fruit. He applauded the University of Sargodha’s initiative to investigate the medicinal benefits of this fruit. He stated that COMSTECH had developed a citrus processing unit in Nigeria.
Prof. Choudhary praised the diplomatic community for supporting COMSTECH’s activities and objectives.
Prof. Dr. Irfan Ullah, a citrus fruit expert, delivered a comprehensive lecture on the nutritional value of citrus fruits. He also discussed the obstacles that farmers experience in agriculture and made recommendations to help them overcome those challenges. He stated that agriculture area and provincial proportion have been declining.
