KARACHI: The Ministry of National Food Security & Research (NFSR) and the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry have signed an agreement to upgrade and operate the central plant quarantine laboratory (CPQL) and the federal pesticide testing & reference laboratory (FPTRL) at the department of plant protection (DPP).

HEJ Institute is a part of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi and under the agreement, the federal ministry will provide Rs 400 million to the ICCBS, said a press release.

DPP Director General Tahir Abbas and ICCBS Director Prof Raza Shah signed the agreement here.

According to the agreement, the ICCBS and DPP chiefs will be the focal persons for their respective departments to administer, execute, and coordinate all the activities.

A technical evaluation committee will be constituted to monitor of overall progress of the project.

The meeting was also attended by Prof Atta-ur-Rahman, Prof Shahid Mansoor, Prof Syed Ghulam Musharraf, Dr Shakil Ahmed and others.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2025