PM Shehbaz approves PARC restructuring to boost agricultural research

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting on the matters of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), wherein the body’s restructure was approved in principle.

The prime minister gave officials instructions to create a thorough reorganization plan with a precise timetable. Additionally, he directed that PARC be transformed into a premier agricultural research organization modeled after the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

Shehbaz Sharif stressed the importance of agricultural research in advancing the nation’s agriculture industry and bolstering food security.

Officials provided a thorough briefing on their goals to make PARC a modern, effective organization that is in line with the demands of modern research at the conference.

To make PARC a more effective organization for supplying the country’s food needs and boosting agricultural exports, the reform agenda calls for strengthening international partnerships, hiring top research talent, improving coordination with provincial governments, and establishing clear performance targets.

All research facilities run by PARC will be combined into five Centers of Excellence as part of the reorganization plan. In order to increase agricultural exports, these centers will concentrate on high-yield seed development, superior livestock breeding, precision agriculture, farm mechanization, artificial intelligence, and food processing. Industry will be connected to agricultural research as well.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistants to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar and Tariq Bajwa, Coordinator to the Prime Minister for Agriculture Ahmed Omer, and other senior government officials attended the meeting.