Pakistan is moving ahead with a major restructuring of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) under a Strategic Reform and Cooperation Plan developed with China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Gwadar Pro reported on Wednesday. The plan aims to modernise PARC’s operations, strengthen agricultural research capacity, and align Pakistan’s food security efforts with global scientific standards.

As per details, the reform framework proposes turning PARC into an innovation-driven institution through the creation of Technology Transfer Units across major research centres, a National Agricultural Technology Transfer Centre, and regional demonstration hubs. These measures are intended to improve farmers’ productivity through wider technology adoption and value addition in agriculture. A high-level meeting chaired by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on October 31 reviewed the Chinese-backed proposal.

PARC Chairman Dr Syed Murtaza Hassan Andrabi briefed participants on a joint study by MARA and CAAS, which examined the performance and capacity of PARC, the National Agricultural Research Centre and affiliated institutes. Rana said the government would implement the recommendations “in letter and spirit” to make PARC a hub of agricultural advancement. He directed the formation of a high-level implementation committee to oversee execution with defined milestones and accountability mechanisms.

The reform aligns with the broader Action Plan to Foster an Even Closer China–Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the New Era (2025–2029), which promotes cooperation in crop cultivation, livestock development, seed technology, drip irrigation and agro-processing. The overhaul of PARC is seen as a key step toward building a technology-driven agricultural partnership under the China–Pakistan cooperation framework, the report added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China