- RTC concludes at NIAB under IAEA’s RAS5101 project, with 30 participants from 14 member countries
- PAEC official stresses proactive research strategies to tackle climate change, malnutrition and emerging pathogens
- IAEA experts from China and Bulgaria praise Pakistan’s role in regional agricultural capacity building
FAISALABAD: The world will require new medicines, pharmaceuticals and food sources over the next 25 years, making biodiversity enhancement and the use of mutation techniques crucial for sustainable progress, as there can be no food security without food safety, said Prof Dr Muhammad Youssef Saleem, Director General of Agriculture and Biotechnology at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
He was addressing the concluding session of a Regional Training Course (RTC) on agriculture at the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB)—a premier research centre of the PAEC—held under the framework of the IAEA technical cooperation project RAS5101.
The 12-day course, titled “Advanced Mutation Breeding Techniques for the Improvement of Nutritional Quality,” concluded on a high note after bringing together 30 participants from 14 IAEA member states, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan. Two IAEA experts, from China and Bulgaria, also participated.
Dr Saleem congratulated the IAEA, NIAB, and all participants for the successful completion of the training, emphasizing that Pakistan’s rapidly growing population and exposure to climate change demanded innovative approaches in agriculture and food science.
“Pakistan is blessed with diverse landscapes and climates, yet it faces the harsh realities of climate change, malnutrition, water scarcity and emerging pathogens,” he said. “Mutation breeding offers solutions to these challenges by allowing us to alter the genetic architecture of crops and livestock. We must also revisit our dietary patterns and make better use of pulses, cereals and mushrooms to meet nutritional needs.”
He added that Pakistan, as an active member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), remained committed to advancing food safety standards and was ready to collaborate globally through IAEA-led initiatives.
Earlier, Dr Uzma Maqbool, Director NIAB, said the course marked another milestone in Pakistan’s long-standing collaboration with the IAEA for sustainable agriculture. “Our partnership with the IAEA is now bearing fruit for the Asia-Pacific region, known as the ‘food basket of the world’,” she noted.
She reaffirmed NIAB’s commitment to promoting a culture of scientific exchange and innovation to build “healthier and more resilient crops for a world free from malnutrition.”
Dr Ziaul Qamar, Course Director from NIAB, thanked the participants for their active involvement, highlighting that the RTC provided valuable hands-on training and strengthened regional technical cooperation.
Dr Kai Wang, IAEA expert from China, lauded Pakistan’s “consistent and leading role” in supporting regional capacity building in agricultural biotechnology.
The training included interactive sessions, laboratory demonstrations, and field visits. NIAB, a designated IAEA Collaborating Centre in Food and Agriculture, has been recognized globally for its nuclear applications in crop improvement, soil management, and plant nutrition. This was the third IAEA regional training course hosted by Pakistan through NIAB in 2025.
