Lahore (13 October 2026)-The 1st Fungal Culture Bank of Pakistan (FCBP) and the Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (FAS), University of the Punjab, Lahore, celebrated World Fungus Day 2026 with great enthusiasm under the theme “Preserving Fungal Diversity for Sustainable Agriculture, Biotechnology and Food Security”carrying the inspiring tagline, “Fungi: Small Organisms… BIG Impact!”

The day-long event brought together more than 200 students, researchers, scientists, and faculty members from universities and colleges across Pakistan to highlight the vital role of fungi in agriculture, medicine, food security, industry, and the environment.

The inaugural session began with an introduction to the event by Dr. Waheed Anwar, Incharge FCBP. Prof. Dr. Tehmina Anjum, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, graced the occasion as Chief Guest, warmly welcoming the guests and participants. The inaugural ceremony was followed by a cake-cutting ceremony and a group photograph.

The technical sessions, chaired by Mr. Alan Xi Jian Long, Chief Agronomist & Project Manager (Pakistan), featured distinguished national and international experts. Prof. Dr. Edel Perez-Lopez (Laval University, Canada) spoke on the importance of fungi as biocontrol agents, joining online. Renowned local scientists also addressed the audience, including Dr. Fathia Mubeen (NIBGE, Faisalabad) on Trichoderma for sustainable agriculture, Dr. Mazhar ul Islam Awan on the mushroom revolution and economic empowerment, Muhammad Ghayoor Husnain (Citrus Research Institute, Sargodha) on fungal threats to Pakistan’s citrus industry, and Dr. Yasar Saleem (PCSIR) on high-value industrial bio-products from algae and fungi.

A major attraction of the event was the vibrant display of stalls, exhibitions, live mushroom displays, and student competitions, including fungal posters, scientific models, microscopy and nature photography, agar art, awareness short-videos, research papers, and entrepreneurship and business-idea challenges. A total of 90 researchers and students compete in 11 different scientific categories and winners were awarded with shields and certificates. Winners were included from University of the Punjab, Forman Christian College University (FCCU), Government College University (GCU) Lahore, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, NIBGE Faisalabad, the University of Education, the University of Gujrat, and the University of Swat.

The concluding session featured the success story of Mr. Malik Hidayat Ullah, a progressive farmer, awardee by Government of Punjab, followed by concluding remarks, a vote of thanks, and a prize-distribution ceremony for the competition winners. The organizers reaffirmed that fungi though small and often overlooked hold immense potential for building a healthier, food-secure, and environmentally sustainable future, and emphasized the importance of encouraging young researchers to explore the fascinating field of mycology.