In the wake of Minister for National Food Security and Research’s admission regarding the deteriorating performance of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), the cabinet has directed the food ministry to submit a plan to revamp the research institute.
Sources told The Express Tribune that cabinet members questioned the performance of PARC while considering a summary. They also raised questions on the reconstitution of PARC board of governors.
The minister for national food security & research agreed that the working of research institutes had deteriorated and there was a dire need to evaluate their capacities through international experts. He highlighted that out of the 3,800 employees at PARC only 300 were scientists. The cabinet directed that a plan for revamping PARC be presented to it within four weeks.
The affairs of PARC as a research institute have been very inadequate as the cotton crop witnessed a historic decline in production during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s tenure.
The main reason for the decline in cotton crop was the lack of research in the area of seed. The farmers have not been able to get valuable seeds for a long time. However, the employees of PARC continued to receive higher salaries and hefty packages.
