On Nov. 2, the online-and-offline opening ceremony of China-Pakistan Horticulture Research and Demonstration Center (CPHRDC) was held in Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) and University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF).
Opening Ceremony
At the ceremony, representatives from the two universities unveiled the center respectively, and issued the appointment letters to the four leaders of the joint research projects receiving the first batch of “Seed Funds”.
On behalf of the Embassy of Pakistan in China, Ms. Rabbia Nasir (Third Secretary and Agriculture Coordinator of the Embassy of Pakistan in China) congratulated CPHRDC on its establishment. She highlighted that agriculture composes an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the foundation of the center would enhance the research cooperation and industry modernization in horticulture between China and Pakistan. The Embassy of Pakistan in China, Nasir also pointed out that, would continue to support the construction of the center and look forward to further breakthroughs in talents development and the promotion of research achievements.
Li Zhaohu (President of HZAU) addresses the ceremony.
Li Zhaohu reviewed the long-term friendship and cooperation between the two universities in his speech. In 2017, the universities co-launched the BRI Sino-Pakistan Agricultufe Forum to promote the agricultural cooperation under BRI framework. With the establishment of CPHRDC, the multi-disciplinary cooperation and communication in depth among the universities and scientific institutes from the two countries would reach a new level. Li proposed that HZAU would further support the practical collaboration in the frontier research of horticultural science, the implementation of scientific achievements and the talents training in horticulture, boosting the high-quality development of horticulture industry in both China and Pakistan.
Professor Iqrar Ahmad Khan of UAF said that it had been more than 10 years since the two universities began to conduct communication and cooperation in talent cultivation and scientific research, which would move into a new chapter in horticulture thanks to the foundation of CPHRDC. Pakistani government had been paying close attention to the construction of the center and encouraging such collaborations with Chinese universities and institutes under BRI framework. He stressed that through the center, UAF would advance the projects including teachers and students exchange, joint research, joint training of postgraduates (2+1) and undergraduates (2+2), constantly deepening the cooperation and communication in the field of horticulture.
CPHRDC is co-built by HZAU and UAF, mainly dedicated to the cooperation and communication in horticulture, including citrus breeding, vegetable breeding, cultivation techniques, postharvest biology and technology, landscape architecture planning and design, ornamental gardening research, agricultural mechanization and equipment, biotechnological agriculture, etc.
Source: http://news.hzau.edu.cn/2022/1108/65041.shtml
Translated by Yang Jiazhen
Supervised by Pan Buhan
