LAHORE: The careta­ker Punjab CM has formed a committee to suggest within seven days a roadmap for revamping the res­earch paradigm in the agriculture sector as stakeholders question sustainability of the initiative taken by a government that will last only a couple of months.

Agriculture Minister S.M. Tanveer will chair the committee with ministers of livestock, specialised health care Ibrahim Murad and Dr Javed Akram, respectively, and secretaries of agriculture, livestock and any relevant expert to be co-opted by the body as its members.

The committee, which will submit its recommendations to the chief minister within seven days, will review the existing set-up for agriculture research in the province and devise a plan to utilise the research and development resources to the optimum level, say terms of reference of the panel.

The panel will consult all stakeholders to identify priority areas for revamping and highlighting bottlenecks impeding agricultural growth and product.

The committee will also propose a roadmap for improving the overall research paradigm in the province for increasing productivity, sustainability and long-term development planning.

Khalid Khokhar, a representative of the farming com­munity, says agriculture research was hit in the past when research and ex­­tension wings were withd­rawn from universities and given to provincial agriculture departments.

The private sector must be taken along by the committee for devising a result-oriented roadmap and ensuring early results of the measure, says Momin Malik, director of seed development wing of the Guard Agricultural Research & Services.

A top official of a multinational seed company, however, questioned the sustainability of the initiative, asking how it would be ensured that the next rulers of the province will own the roadmap to be given by the caretaker government.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2023