RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research has recommended the government to allocate maximum funds for agriculture sector.

The meeting of the committee was held under the chairmanship of MNA Malik Shakir Bashir Awan. The committee was briefed by Senior Director National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB), Ghulam Muhammad Ali, about the functioning of the institute.

He said that NIGAB was established at NARC under the umbrella of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC). The major functions of NIGAB are to give attention to the discipline of advanced agriculture biotechnology and genomics (crops and animals).

He added that currently this institution is leading the research for security, food sovereignty and food safety in the country.

The committee appreciated the role of the senior director NIGAB in making the institution more valuable for the country. The committee also emphasized that the research for development of new varieties of crops against disease, salinity and drought; selection of animal breed; and development of new drugs, etc, should be continued on priority basis.

The committee recommended that small farmers should be offered training/awareness programmes for the betterment of agriculture sector. The committee also recommended that government should provide subsidy to the farmers in this regard. The committee further recommended that the government should allocate maximum funds to this institution for growing and strengthening of agriculture sector in the country.

The committee also approved the minutes of the last meeting held on March 29, 2017.