LAHORE: (Tuesday, October 07, 2025): Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali has said that cotton is an integral part of human civilization and history and a matter of Pakistan’s national security and survival. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the two-day International Cotton Conference 2025 organized by the Punjab University Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) in connection with the World Cotton Day, at Sheikh Riazuddin Auditorium here on Tuesday. On this occasion, President Pakistan Academy of Sciences Prof Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik, Chair Agripreneurship Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, Jeddah KSA Dr Osama Rayis, Chairman Tara Group of Pakistan Dr Khalid Hameed, President Sindh Seed Association Syed Nadeem Shah, Director General Punjab Agriculture Drug and Food Authority Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, Director CEMB Dr Muaz-ur-Rehman, Dr Muhammad Murtaza Noor from COMSTECH, researchers, scholars, scientists from 21 national and international universities including America, China, Australia, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Central Asia and Bangladesh participated. Addressing the conference, PU VC Prof Dr Muhammad Ali said that we have not been successful in making the best use of our agricultural land. He said that it is a pity that agriculture is no longer a very profitable business. He said that agriculture is a matter of livelihood for all people associated with rural areas. He said that it is very important to provide basic facilities in rural areas to control urban population. He said that the government's investment in agricultural sectors will help in getting out of the agricultural crisis. He said that due to expensive production, cotton is now being planted only by big farmers. He said that there is a fear that the same treatment as cotton will be done to wheat. He said that the floods have caused severe damage to many crops. He said that he is happy that CEMB cotton seed is being cultivated on a large scale in Pakistan.Dr Osama Rayis shared insights on integrating digital transformation and technology-driven innovation into sustainable agriculture. Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik informed about the research on Cotton Leaf Curl Virus. He said that in the past, Cotton Leaf Curl Leaf caused billions of dollars in loss to Pakistan’s cotton industry. He said that viruses were identified due to the research of Pakistani scientists. He said that government funding and research by Pakistani scientists saved the country from billions of dollars in loss. He said that microbiota transplantation has the potential to prove to be a game changer against Cotton Leaf Curl. Chairman Tara Group of Pakistan Dr Khalid Hameed said that climate change, water, substandard seeds and old methods of farmers are serious challenges for agriculture. He said that CEMB seeds are being cultivated on more than 50 percent of the area of Punjab. President Sindh Seed Association Syed Nadeem Shah said that cotton seeds developed by PU are being planted on 80 percent of the land in Sindh province. He said that the Chief Minister of Punjab has provided a lot of relief to the flood victims. He said that we requested the Chief Minister of Punjab to pay special attention to agriculture. Prof Dr Muaz-ur-Rehman thanked the participants and said that CEMB will continue to work on reforms for the development of Pakistan's agriculture sector. He said that CEMB has an important role in the production of BT-Cotton. Later, shields were presented to the honorable guests of the conference.