FAISALABAD, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 5th Sep, 2026) The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen nearly four decades of collaboration in agricultural research for the agricultural uplift.
In this connection, Dr Suzie Newman, General Manager (Partnerships), ACIAR, and Country Manager ACIAR Munawar Raza Kazmi visited University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Saturday and held detailed discussions with UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali and senior faculty and researchers on ongoing collaborative projects and future areas of cooperation.
UAF spokesman said that the meeting reviewed hybrid wheat project led at UAF by Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali. The international project, involving Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Pakistan, seeks to accelerate genetic gain in wheat through hybrid breeding. UAF’s involvement builds on its established expertise in wheat improvement and international research collaboration.
The meeting also examined citrus smallholder and value-chain project seeks to improve smallholder wellbeing and strengthen the competitiveness of Pakistan’s citrus sector while Climate-resilient and adaptive water allocation worth to addressed canal and groundwater management, salinity participatory irrigation institutions and farming livelihoods and pulse value-chain project focuses on developing competitive and inclusive markets.
Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali said that the university valued its longstanding partnership with Australia, which had evolved from research projects into a broad-based collaboration addressing strategic challenges confronting Pakistan’s agriculture.
He said that the work done under the hybrid wheat project shows 20 percent increase in the wheat productivity.
He said that UAF was committed to translating research into practical solutions for farmers and strengthening the link between universities, farmers, industry and policymakers.
“Pakistan’s agriculture needs research that delivers measurable gains in productivity, resource efficiency, farmers’ incomes and resilience to climate change”, he added.
Dr Suzie Newman appreciated UAF’s contribution to agricultural research and highlighted the importance of demand-driven and locally relevant research.
She said that stronger partnerships between Australian and Pakistani institutions would help develop practical solutions in areas such as climate resilience, water management, crop improvement, horticulture and agricultural value chains. ACIAR’s partnerships focus on research that responds to development priorities and translates scientific knowledge into benefits for farming communities.
She said that we have a final focus session looking at how we take the results from those projects, and then take them to scale.
The discussions highlighted that the Australian-supported portfolio at UAF including 20 completed project engagements/components and four ongoing projects.
Director, Institute of Horticultural Sciences Dr Ahmad Sattar Khan, Registrar Dr Asif Kamran, Dr Umair Gull, and Dr Mubashar Mehdi briefed about the different projects.
Country Manager ACIAR (Pakistan) Dr Munawar Raza Kazmi said that the ACIAR country strategy focuses on agribusiness, key fruit crops (mangoes and citrus), livestock (smallholder dairy), agricultural policy, horticulture and agricultural water management.
Our collaboration with Pakistan dates back to 1984, with recent extensions to our research support involving China to better understand rural transformation, he added.
The UAF-ACIAR partnership, the participants observed, has moved beyond conventional research cooperation towards a broader agenda encompassing science, resilience, markets and food security.
The development comes amid renewed Pakistan-Australia discussions at the national level on agricultural research, climate resilience, water management, biosecurity and agricultural trade, underscoring the strategic relevance of the UAF-ACIAR partnership, UAF spokesman added.
