• Not a single new research initiative included in PSDP for FY26
• Research work at Narc has come to a standstill, despite govt claims of prioritising agriculture

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Agri­cul­tural Research Council (Parc) has become virtually dysfunctional, as not a single research project has been included in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2025-26.

With the start of the new fiscal year, research work at the National Agricul­tural Research Centre (Narc) has now come to a standstill, despite repeated government claims of giving top priority to agriculture.

The Parc will carry out only one project in FY26; production of certified pota­­to seed with the assistance of South Korea.

According to official sources, the government has suspended two ongoing projects —one focused on increasing pulse production and the other on upgrading the Mountain Research Centre in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Information shared by a senior official from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research confirms while five new schemes under the ministry were included in the PSDP, none are related to Parc.

When contacted, Parc chairman Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali confirmed none of the approved schemes involve research activities at the National Agricultural Research Centre during 2025-26.

One of the five projects related to the establishment of an agriculture research institute in Sheikhupura — the constituency of Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain. The ministry allocated Rs3,800 million for five years for multi-disciplinary agricultural research institute located in the wheat belt and Basmati rice export zone.

National Food Security Secretary Waseem Ajmal Chaudhary informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security on Thursday that the ministry’s development budget has significantly been reduced from Rs24bn to Rs4.7bn due to fiscal constraints imposed by the federal government under its obligations to the IMF, leading to the curtailment of various planned projects.

The committee raised concern with the ministry over the exclusion of several schemes previously discussed and recommended, in particular the proposed Dates Research Centre at Khairpur.

In addition to the Sheikhupura project, the ministry approved Pakistan National Sugar and Sugarcane Monitoring Sys-tem; Financial Incentive Programme for Sus­tainable Agri-business and Aquacul­ture Development; Reviving of Cotton in Pakistan; and Pak-Ar-Zameen Card project.

The Parc was established in 1981 to promote research in collaboration with other federal and provincial institutions while the NARC serves as its premier research arm.

Official sources told Dawn the Parc management had finalised 15 projects for inclusion in the PSDP for 2025-26. However, the Ministry of National Food Security initially shortlisted seven of them, but eventually dropped all, which were estimated to cost over Rs24bn.

Endowment fund

The food security ministry turned down a proposal to create an endowment fund, with seed money of Rs10bn, for promotion of agricultural research.

Research and development in agriculture has been facing constraints due to lack of financial resources and erratic funding.

The seven projects pertained to promotion of climate-resilient high value horticultural crops like pistachio, almond, walnut and pecan nut in Balochistan; establishment of a date palm research and post-harvest management institute, breeding stronger cattle and buffalo to increase milk and meat production; capacity development for advanced agricul-tural mach­inery research; and the establishment of a degree-awarding institute at Parc.

The date palm research institute was supposed to be established in Khairpur and had been recommended by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Food Security. Khairpur is home to over 300 cultivators of date palm, con-tributing about 80 per cent to Sindh’s date production.

The presence of Khairpur special economic zone offers enormous oppor-tunities for economic growth, entrepreneurship, and investment in the date palm sector.

In Balochistan, the Rs800m project on climate-resilient, high-value horticultural crops aimed to promote the cultivation of pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and pecan nuts through the establishment of mother orchards and propagation of rootstocks for high-yielding local and exotic varieties.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2025

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