NARC capable to strengthen agriculture sector through timely research: Jawad

SAYS NF&S MINISTRY MAY RELEASE FUNDS FOR THE PROJECTS BEING RUN BY NARC

Chairman of Standing Committee of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) on Agriculture, Ahmad Jawad has said the government may facilitate the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) and National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) to strengthen the country agriculture sector which failed to achieve the targets for the last three years. He said that as agriculture policy has been an area of much debate in Pakistan and understandably so, given the country’s reliance on its primary produce for both exports and domestic usage.

Talking to media persons here on Thursday, Ahmad Jawad said Ministry of National Food & Security may release the funding for the respective projects of the NARC so that timely research execution may be take place; as reportedly that the concerned ministry may stop the funds of the NARC which is not acceptable. “We understand that reforms are required for this organization but it doesn’t mean that government may ignore country largest agriculture research institute”.

Similarly Prime Minister may take a strict action against those lobbyists who still want to relocate the premises of NARC to some other place, he added.

He stated that the only question that needs attention is whether agriculture sector needs to survive in Pakistan or not. If yes, then research only guarantees survival and development of agriculture. He highlighted that it is just because of research contributions made by this organization despite the shrinkage of agricultural land in past few decades. “To relocate the NARC premises would give irreparable loss to the agriculture sector of Pakistan and we would go back again from where we started,” he observed.

The chairman FPCCI Standing Committee further said one should know average annual growth of agriculture sector in Pakistan dropped from 5.4 per cent during 1980-90 to 2.2 per cent during 2011-16. The growth during the past fiscal year (2015-16) plummeted to -0.2 per cent mainly contributed by -6.3 per cent decline in the crop sector. Jawad also said Public sector’s capacity to invest in agriculture has been on the decline. Due to lack of modernization in agriculture, average growth in yields (kg/hec) for cotton and wheat declined from 9 and 2.6 per cent respectively between 1980-90 to -2.2 and 1.4 per cent respectively between 2011-16.

“We must admit that such short-term fiscal packages cannot be an answer to structural problems faced by agriculture”; he added. In this regard government may formulate a comprehensive business plan for the revival of this sector and strengthen the Pakistan Agriculture council further and also ensure that their research centres may disburse their research to the farmers timely in every crops; he remarked.