PARC plays important role in sustainable food security: PARC chief
Islamabad: The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has potential to lead the country in the journey towards self-sufficient in a wide-range of areas in the Agriculture sector, said PARC Chairman Muhammad Azeem Khan.
Currently, our scientists are working on around 200 new varieties in various agri sectors and their successful completion would help the country to ensure food security in the country.
The PARC chief shared these views while talking to the delegation of Global Media Association (GMA) who visited the research center, spread over 1400 acre in Chak Shahzad area of Islamabad.
Azeem Khan said the PARC realizes its responsibilities to play an advisory role for the promotion of the agriculture products.
The research work on a number of varieties in crops and plants is in progress, adding that due to less coverage in the media about this sector’s developments, our research achievements could not be brought into public knowledge so far. He was of the view that digital media can play an important role in the promotion of science-related developments.
“We have many success stories on our scientists’ credit, including production of a high quality Garlic variety HG-1,” adding that “this new variety is the result of our own scientists efforts and dedication”, Azeem Khan said.
Garlic Variety HG-1 is not only a great success of our scientists but would be a great support to meet our Garlic need in the country, adding that we have planned to increase its production at export level in the future, he informed.
“This variety will help us to abandon our reliance on imported garlic,” he maintained.
It is pertinent to mention here that the PARC is involved in research and production of around 200 varieties and it has achieved successes in many of its researched areas, the agri scientist added.
We are not restricted to national accords but we have signed over two dozen agreements with foreign businesses in the sector, emphasizing that but our first priority is to meet our own needs first.
Dr Azeem Khan said the PARC has set a target of $2 billion exports in the next three years, hoping that our Garlic Variety HG-1 and Mansehra tea would be trademarks to boost our exports. He added the PARC will put all possible efforts to achieve its set target.
There are many other success stories to the credit of PARC, he said, adding that our tea plantation in Mansehra has started production on a commercial basis.
He said the locally produced high quality tea is available on all over display centers in Islamabad, adding that our tea experiment not only remains successful in quality testing, but we have started its export as well.
Supply of quality drinking water to residents of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi is another initiative taken by PARC. In this connection, the centre has signed an agreement last year.
Under this agreement, both business ventures are going to collaborate with a common objective to promote sale of high quality drinking water produced and processed by PARC at NARC, Islamabad.
