Punjab University has signed an agreement with an African company for the seed business and technical cooperation on the use of Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB)-patented transgenic for development, seed production and marketing of transgenic cotton hybrids/varieties.

The MoU signing ceremony was organized at PU Vice Chancellor's office here on Tuesday. PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad, Pro VC Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar, Acting Director CEMB Dr Tayyab Husnain, Dr Idrees Ahmad Nasir, ORIC Director Prof Dr Muhammad Arshad Javed, PU Director External Linkages Dr Sobia Khurram, and Sudan's Aleenah Agricultural Services Ltd President Dr Adil Ahmed Ali Ahmed Nuri and Osama Saeed Muhammad Elkhier were present on the occasion.

According to agreement, the African company will develop and commercialize cotton transgenic CKC technology of CEMB and transgenic cotton hybrids developed by the company using CKC events of CEMB.

The company will be exclusively introducing it in twelve cotton-growing African countries i.e. Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The company will provide royalty of the net realized value of cotton seeds hybrids developed by Aleenah Company using CKC event of the CEMB to Punjab University CEMB as per agreement.

Addressing the ceremony, PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad said that this was the role of universities to contribute towards socio-economic development of the country. Dr Nuri said that PU technology would play an important role in the development of the cotton industry in African countries and 12 cotton-growing African countries were going to benefit from the technology developed by PU scientists.