Name Rafiq Ahmad | ||
warmly welcomed Sardar Rafiq Ahmad Jamali/ Pakistan Peoples Party Pakistan
Rafiq Ahmad is a Pakistani scientist and beekeeping expert. His research led to the introduction of significant advancements in beekeeping techniques in Pakistan.
Contents
- warmly welcomed Sardar Rafiq Ahmad Jamali Pakistan Peoples Party Pakistan
- Early life and education
- Career
- Awards
- References
Early life and education
Ahmad earned an M.Sc. in Agriculture and a Ph. D.
Career
Ahmad worked as an entomologist at the Commonwealth Institute of Biological control, South American Station, Argentina and Pakistan station Rawalpindi. He was the chief scientific Officer at the National Honeybee Research Institute, the National Co-ordinator, and Deputy Director of the General National Agriculture Research Center in Islamabad, Pakistan (PARC).
In 1988 Ahmad was assigned by the government of Pakistan to establish a honeybee culture program in the country. Multiple attempts by the department at Faisalabad University to establish European honeybees in the area, beginning in 1928, had failed.
Ahmad established HBRI (Honey Beekeeping Research Institute) at NARC (National Agriculture Research Center) Islamabad Pakistan. He discovered through research there that inbreeding was the major reason for the death of European bees in Asia, and resolved this issue. In 1986, Pakistan became self-sufficient in honey production and exporting country. His knowledge, research and technologies not only helped Pakistan but also assisted other Asian countries to develop modern beekeeping industry to increase national income and economy of their nations.
Ahmad also conducted research on the effectiveness of honey bees as fruit pollinators.
In 1992 he retired from Pakistan Government institute NARC. After retirement, he founded the National Beekeeping Federation, consisting of 52 Pakistani Beekeepers who harvest export class honey.
Awards
For his research, work and writings in the field of beekeeping, Ahmad has received a number of prizes and medals, including a Gold Medal and a Silver Jubilee medal from the government of Pakistan.