Islamabad  - Agricultural Innovation Programme for Pakistan will create a platform for public and private sector institutions to share the new innovations and to promote agriculture sector activities particularly enhancement of maize production in Pakistan. 
This was stated by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) here at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) Islamabad while presiding over two-day meeting of “Agricultural Innovation Programme for Pakistan, Maize Working Group Inception.” The meeting was organised by PARC in collaboration with USAID and The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) at PGRI NARC, Islamabad.  The meeting was attended by scientists from the public and private research institutions, local and multinational seed companies, higher learning institutions, department of extension from all provinces of Pakistan including AJK and Gilgit-Biltistan. The international maize and wheat improvement center (CIMMYT) Pakistan office is running this project and expressed the continuation of support to Pakistani partners.
On this occasion, USAID Manager of AIP Dr Michael Wizan appreciated the effort to bring together all maize stakeholders together under the umbrella of AIP to address major issues related to maize productivity especially targeting marginal areas. Member Plant Sciences Division, Dr Shahid Masood, Director General NARC Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan, CIMMYT Country Director, Dr Imtiaz Muhammad and other senior scientists exchanged their knowledge and experience with the participants. It was the first meeting of the AIP-Maize Working Group (MWG), planned to involve major maize institutions engaged in maize Research and Development in Pakistan with particularly emphasis on maize specialists and resource persons and decision makers from local institutions who were collaborating under the AIP-Maize in Research for Development including germplasm evaluation, agronomy and other planned activities. The meeting also addressed the mechanisms to help local seed companies to produce good quality hybrid seed in Pakistan that will help to reduce the current high price of seeds.
Under the AIP maize interventions public and private partners will get support in the evaluation of climate resilient maize varieties, nutritional enhanced or bio fortified maize and maize varieties tolerant to pest and disease damages.