This Action Plan operationalizes the Prime Minister–approved restructuring of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), repositioning it from an input-driven implementer of routine research to an impact-oriented strategic coordinator of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). This transformation is essential to address persistent challenges in Pakistan’s agriculture, including stagnant productivity, climate vulnerability, and food insecurity. The reform is anchored in five strategic pillars: Human Capital Excellence, Autonomous Governance, International Collaboration, Mission-Oriented Research, and the Digital NARIS Platform. Together, these pillars aim to align agricultural research with national economic priorities, particularly the Prime Minister’s Export Initiatives. At the core of the challenge is a structurally imbalanced system, where approximately 87% of resources are absorbed by salaries, leaving minimal allocation for actual research. This has contributed to declining research outputs, weak technology adoption, stagnant yields, and erosion of institutional credibility. Addressing these systemic inefficiencies requires deep and sustained structural reform.

This Action Plan puts into practice the Prime Minister's approved reorganization of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), shifting its role from a traditional research implementer focused on inputs to a strategic coordinator that prioritizes impact within the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). Pakistan's agriculture faces ongoing problems like flat productivity levels, climate risks, and food security issues, making this change crucial. The restructuring rests on five key pillars: Human Capital Excellence, Autonomous Governance, International Collaboration, Mission-Oriented Research, and the Digital NARIS Platform. These components work together to connect agricultural research with the country's economic goals, especially supporting the Prime Minister's Export Initiatives. The fundamental problem lies in a system that lacks proper balance, with roughly 87% of funding going toward salaries while leaving very little money for conducting research itself. This imbalance has led to fewer research results, poor adoption of new technologies, unchanged crop yields, and damaged institutional reputation. Fixing these deep-rooted problems requires comprehensive and long-term structural changes.