Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) has upgraded its Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI) to the level of Arid Zone Research Centre (AZRC) and established four new institutes in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Dera Ismail Khan aimed at expanding agri-research scope in less developed areas and FATA region.
A senior official at the National Agriculture Research Council (NARC) told Pakistan Today that after declaring part of the tribal region cleared by military, families are going back where improvement of education and health sectors are among the priorities of government.
He said that prime minister had long before issued special directives to adopt tangible measures to boost the agriculture sector of FATA, which produced apple, grapes and other fruits of high quality.
“We moved to announce four new Adaptive Research-cum-Demonstration Institutes (ADRI) at Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan Agency, Miran Shah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency, Tank and in Matora, Lakki Marwat to improve livelihood of the poor farmers of the arid, rainfed, sailaba and rod-kohi areas,” he remarked.
The initiative, he said, is aimed at enhancing the sustainable productivity of agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas while protecting the natural resource-base i.e. land and water resources, range land from degradation and preservation of vast natural biodiversity.
The institute was upgraded and new institutes were established on the demand of the farmers of the Matora Village of Lakki Marwat District and political leaders of the region, following directives of the prime minister, he said.
The objective of the AZRC and its institutes, he said, is to expand agricultural research and development activities to the neglected areas of Southern Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA so as to improve the agricultural productivity and reduce poverty in the region.
He said that the step is taken following hectic efforts by the officials concerned to improve the agriculture sector after the tribal region witnessed violence and displacement of thousands of families.
The official said that the government is making all-out efforts to promote agriculture sector in the country in general and focusing on less developed areas in particular.
He termed the up-gradation of AZRI to AZRC and establishment of new agricultural research institutes a milestone for agricultural development in the less developed areas as well as in the war-battered tribal belt.
He said majority of the people directly or indirectly depend on agriculture, adding that it is the only agricultural research centre which would cover all southern districts, including FATA.
He said that the newly upgraded research centre would strengthen existing research infrastructure and the newly established institutes would introduce and disseminate improved agricultural production technologies and strategies for improvement of socio-economic status of agrarian societies in the target areas.
