By Azman Zakaria
Photo by Noor Azreen Awang
SERDANG, Nov 15 - Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) needs to continue to improve and strengthen its position to become a 'real champion' in the field of agriculture, said the Chairman of UPM Board of Directors, Tan Sri Dr. Ghauth Jasmon.
He said the faculties involved in agriculture, in particular the Faculty of Agriculture, must trigger and add new ideas to enable the country's agricultural sector to become a world leader in the agriculture sector.
He said all the experts and knowledgeable personnel in the field of agriculture at UPM, a leading agricultural institution, should work together in this direction.
"Generally, the public’s hope for UPM is to be agriculturally related, perhaps the university was previously known as Universiti Pertanian Malaysia," he said while officiating the 43rd UPM Agriculture Expo and Convocation Carnival at Bukit Ekspo here today.
However, he said it did not mean that other faculties in UPM were not important as they have also contributed to the success of the university.
In this regard, he said, new strategies needed to be developed and implemented in the field of agriculture to ensure UPM continues to improve and excel in order to achieve the desired success.
He said he wanted to see UPM to become the number one university in the country in five years’ time.
He added that it is important to continue to work hard as the management of a university will become increasingly difficult in the coming years.
"However, we must continue to strive for better achievement despite the difficult and challenging surrounding environment," he said.
UPM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datin Dr. Aini Ideris, said the Agriculture Expo and Convocation Carnival held from November 15 to 20 were on agro-food aspects that include agriculture, horticulture, livestock and aquaculture, as well as on showcasing the progress and achievements of agriculture-based teaching and research.
She added that it also featured new agricultural-related products based on the latest technologies, innovations of UPM researchers and their marketing strategies. - UPM
