Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) has urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not to close or relocate National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in the federal capital. Reap Chairman Rafique Suleman said that the authorities had decided to close National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in Islamabad and use its land for a proposed housing scheme.
He said that NARC was the country's prime research centre with modern facilities and which housed hundreds of research institutes within its campus. "It serves as a backbone to agriculture and also ensures strong co-ordination among the provincial research institutes," he added.
He said that the decision would be detrimental for the agriculture sector, as it would not only affect our productivity but also exports. He further said that many international research institutes were also located in the same campus and its closure or relocation would badly affect the country's credibility. Reap had also requested the members of civil society to raise their voice to prevent government for taking such a decision, he said. "We humbly appeal to the Prime Minister that keeping in view the national interest and importance of the institute, NARC may not be replaced with any housing society," he added.