Agricultural Sector Economic Rebound: PM Shehbaz Orders Cotton Board Setup and Chinese Seed Tech Deals

ISLAMABAD — Betting heavily on agriculture to spearhead national economic recovery in the upcoming FY27 framework, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has held deep consultations with farm leaders and value-added industrial corporations. The PM ordered the immediate reconstitution and notification of the National Cotton Board and directed a massive structural modernization of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) in direct collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Additionally, the administration expanded the Zarkhez-e Scheme, providing streamlined access for small farmers to acquire up to Rs1 million in easy-term credit to scale up per-acre crop yields.