A Two-Day National Executive Symposium on Technologies Developed for Commercialization – Challenges and Opportunities was held at Pearl Continental Hotel, Peshawar on September 21, 2003. The symposium was a joint venture organized by Nuclear Institute for Food & Agriculture (NIFA), a subordinate institute of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) and Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). Dr. Ihsanullah, NIFA,  was Chief Organizer of the symposium. The symposium comprised of inaugural session, five technical sessions, panel discussion and recommendation and concluding ceremony. A 200 plus participants comprising of policy makers, scientists, engineers, economists, academician and university students from all over the country participated. Keynote addresses, plenary lectures, research papers scientific discussions, and posters were presented. Experienced professionals of high caliber in the subject areas from ministries, other reputed scientific & concerned organizations, industries and public sector contributed plenary & technical lectures in the symposium. The main lectures delivered by Chairman PCSIR, Chairman PSF, Member Biosciences PAEC, Associate DG PINSTECH, Chairman SDA, Industries, WTO department, experts from PARC, NARC, SMEDA, EPB, The Khyber Bank and well-qualified academicians. Along with the symposium, a grand exhibition was also arranged at PC, Peshawar in collaboration with EPB. The salient achievements of R&D organizations and product range of various commercial entrepreneurs were displayed at this occasion. Various establishments of PAEC displayed their products/models of their achievements. The exhibition was opened for public from 20-22 September 2003.

Fruit flies are of immense importance in Pakistan as well as throughout the world. The pest causes colossal losses and damage to fruits and vegetables in various agro-ecological zones of Pakistan. To handle this problem, farmers usually depend on using organic pesticides which has resulted in environmental contamination, residue problem, destruction of non-target and beneficial organisms and development of resistance in insects. To combat fruit flies problem, an IPM protocol was developed using MAT, BAT and Bio-pesticide for the management of fruit flies. In order to popularize the technology amongst the farming community and extension workers a series of training workshops were conducted in two guava producing areas of NWFP i.e. Kohat and Haripur. The workshops covered important lectures and piratical demonstration regarding the management of this pest through environmentally safe control tactics.