"Journalists Exchange Programme”
“Innovative aspects of Biotechnology and its better awareness and dissemination”
March 12 – 14th
2007
This workshop was a combined effort of OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA), and Pakistan Biotechnology Information Centre (PABIC) and Malaysia Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC)
The workshop was attended by journalists from Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt. With objectives to expose the journalists to current issues on agricultural biotechnology and to enhance the capabilities of science journalists in communicating biotechnology to the public, the workshop covered various topics in this area.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani said the government would soon launch an independent Television channel on Science and Technology to disseminate the information on the subject to the people.
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Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman said biotechnology is an important and fast growing field which is playing a vital role in improving agricultural productivity, in addition to its contribution to health and environment .
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Highlighting the objectives of the workshop, Director Pakistan Biotechnology Information Centre (PABIC), Dr. Iqbal Ch. said it is important to share aspirations, ideas and strategies of the participants of the workshop to ensure that all the stakeholders understand, adapt, appreciate and support promotion of biotechnology and its innovative applications in the fields of agriculture, pharmaceutical, livestock, and aquatic resources.
A few presentations on the current agribiotech status in Pakistan were presented by various government officials. The journalists were also given writing exercises and reviewing of articles. A field visit to a hydroponics tomato farm in Rawalpindi was organized to show the different technologies in agriculture which could be commercialized successfully