FAISALABAD, April 28: University of Agriculture vice-chancellor Dr Bashir Ahmad has stressed the need for introducing a post-harvest management system for citrus throughout the fruit-handling chain.

According to him, the system will reduce fruit losses and prepare the growers and researchers for food safety and quality standards in the competitive export market. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of an international conference on citriculture here on Wednesday, he said citrus, with massive production throughout the world, had attained tremendous boost over the last century.

Pakistan had also followed the same pattern and registered an increase in its production to achieve a significant position in the world, he said.

He said: "We have to balance our international trade by enhancing exports and enrich diet with high vitamin contents of fruits like citrus." He said coordinated efforts among the Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology and Punjab Forestry Research Institute would bring about a revolution in agriculture.

Earlier, Faculty of Agriculture dean Dr Mohammad Ashfaq said Pakistan was exporting 122,000 tons of kinnoo worth $20 million. "However, our exports are insignificant as compared to other citrus-producing countries due to certain reasons, including lack of infrastructure, proper post-harvest technology and training, and integrated promotional and marketing efforts in overseas markets."

Organizer of the conference Dr Mohammad Ibrahim said 95 per cent citrus was produced in the Punjab.

Private schools: All-Pakistan Private Schools' Alliance has announced that it will stage sit-ins in front of the offices of district Nazim, DCO and the education EDO if results of all students are not announced and result-cards not issued.

Speaking at a news conference here on Wednesday, office-bearers of the alliance said that results of students of Class 5 and 8 had been announced in a haphazard manner and hundreds of students declared fail without justification.

They claimed that the EDO (education) had appointed a principal of a secondary school as controller of the examination instead of deputing experienced and trained staff. The examiners failed to hold the examinations properly which could be judged by the fact that results were announced on April 20 instead of March 31.

They said over 50 per cent of the results were still pending but the BISE had fixed April 30 as the last date for admission to Class 9. They demanded of the BISE chairman to extend the admission date for Class 9 up to May 15.