Overview
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the master plan Saturday and directed that reforms at the National Agriculture Research Centre and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council be completed urgently.
- The reorganisation will divide NARC into seven districts and establish five Centres of Excellence along with reference laboratories, a biorepository, living laboratories and a public discovery park.
- The roadmap includes new research centres such as a private‑sector research park and an international cooperation centre to expand public‑private and global collaboration in agricultural R&D.
- Officials said priority measures under the Agriculture Innovation and Growth Plan 2026‑27 have been accelerated with a focus on artificial intelligence, digitisation, farmer finance, farm machinery and a stakeholder‑consulted national crop‑production estimate system.
- The government will pilot organic clusters in Balochistan for crops such as cotton and dates and introduce national organic standards, group certification and digital traceability to help smallholders reach export markets and earn higher incomes.