ARTICLE (May 15 2010): There is no reason why the research products that Pakistan has should not be marketed and should not supplement research efforts. To do so would require some shift in personal policies. The tendency so far in the government is to accept whatever is being produced by the Universities as human resource and then to take that forward.
Well that would never do and the requirement is for a well conceived human resource. That would never change and you will have 18th century courses being taught at the agriculture universities and then there would be some one whose cup is full of knowledge, telling you that these are the best. The vigour in the agriculture education is sadly lacking. That is a digression as well as a policy argument for this article.
Well, what does one do with the research that one has done and the products that have emanated. When I entered this field, thanks to the efforts of the then minister Lieutenant General Majid Malik (Retd), I found that I had two courses to follow. I could go on building my personal relationships on the basis of the goods that were produced or I could make them marketable products and could earn some extra funds for those that had worked out research.
For roughly 10 to 11 years, the honey that was being produced was being sent to the ministers, federal secretaries and to themselves as a gift and at no cost. The honey being sent was in Mitchell's squash bottles and anyone who wanted it could get it free of cost provided they were men of means and they could influence and peddle the unsavoury maverick policies that were to come through.
That, amongst other things, required allowance for junket tours and if this was allowed, a quid pro quo for providing the influential, but "nalaiq" sons and daughters of the elites to go for PhD on public expense. Majority of these have not returned to Pakistan and are staying on in the country where they were sent. The procedure was violated not for public interest but for personal gains.
Now that we have entered another era after a lot of rubbishing by the tyrannical powers that keep on frequenting the corridors of power of this rich, but unfortunate country. The need is now to look at the system all over again and to see how to augment resources so that a circular fund can be managed.
As a result, the NARC system has tried to convert all the research stations into profit centres. To do so would be to get into the marketing side, no matter with what products. Some of the outlying stations have become profit centres. The effort now is to get economic value for the products. That way the product gains faster recognition and the research station knows that the product has to be true to type and of quality, otherwise the market would simply vanish.
The effort now is to involve in the product marketability with hand picked private sector chain shops. Why hand picked? The judgement factor plays an important part and the price has to be negotiated. How is the price to be negotiated and how is it to be detached from the decisions that involve self-siphoning off these resources?
Recently, we had a first bunch of bananas from the Chinese variety that Pakistan had brought from that friendly country and that was a first year small bunch. Its bliss factor was to be checked. That meant that its market acceptability based on taste, aroma and organoleptic aspects had to be checked. So the small bunch was passed on, one for each taste test, to various likely customers that also included indigenous sellers of fruits. The surprise at the exceptional taste was encouragement itself for the scientist. Those that did not get to taste it will do so in the near future provided we do not have swine like behaviour for one of the so called scientist killed as many as 350 plants when these were left in his charge for maintenance.
All kinds of people make up this world, but when a so-called misnamed scientist comes in to the crank field, it is bedlam for research. The research will take an extra year to get into the field as a result. The so-called whatever was aggrieved, because he had been transferred from Karachi to the interior of Sindh province. Now one can get all the people in the world to work at urban stations where they will look after their personal interests do a side job and forget that they are in the service of the nation. If that is what is required fine for that could be easily managed, but for that you would have to get a pliable coward in position not an arrogant citizen who has served this nation albeit not so worthily.
So what are the prerequisites of the marketing bit? First, do we have any product? I consider the range differently. I think knowledge has not been properly marketed. I think that the agriculture worker [not scientists] has a lot to give to the farmer provided he knows how? That would require an ease of interaction and not some supercilious idea about community participation and giving something like so many crores of rupees to an NGO that has no skills and that is till lauding its efforts started in 1955.
That means a proper philosophy of marketing is required. The focus will have to be not only on approaches and techniques, but also on the structure of the intervention. That would mean looking at the biotic and abiotic issues that would crop up. Will some one join hands with me from the private sector and come for intervention at Malakand and Chakdara. The cost is not to be measured in money earned, but in terms of satisfying the nation's requirement for peace and harmony. Will you or won't you put your own life on the line? The larger interest is not to put the life of the nation on line?
Now try this for a marketing strategy? In doing this, the bid is to give the people that are involved in this a reputation of duty of care? Can there be a bigger acceptance of their effort? Money is for scoundrels and a duty of care is for those that reverberate with the will and the people of this nation. There are persons of that kind in the system but that is a dwindling system. I asked one of them to come back from a foreign assignment and he came, having lost a considerable amount of dollars.
The initial shock of entering the 'Sheeda' culture [a reference to hybrid Pakistanis living in England and thing that they have conquered the world] has been overcome and he is now leading a major intervention in the area. He still gets rockets from me for lack of focus on the people of that area.
A systematic approach to solving the problems of the clientele would be a necessary intervention. The nature of those problems would be difficult to handle because of the inability of the scientist to live with the human whose issues are of a continuous nature. So can you market your country? Can you market your politicians? Can you market yourself without getting you're self in to cramps of all kinds. Or will you simply blow your bugle. It was in Punjab when I was transferred from agriculture to livestock and the agriculture giant was put in my place.
I had made the mistake of trying to locate 35 crores of rupees that had gone missing and the only way that he could get rid of me was to have me transferred. That he managed adroitly through the then political system. Since he had blown his bugle so often I could not help but buy a Pipri [you know one of those noise making reeds that the indigenous toy seller used to make]. I would blow the Pipri every time I went past his room. We had been friends. Soon, there were lot of Pipris and a lot of horn blowing in front of his room. The matter got blown up and one day he entered my office room, expressing his regrets.
The issue that is being highlighted is that we as service personal have to keep our egos in check and to do better for the country. It was a lesson I learnt when I was interviewed for admission at the London business school. I was asked to give to the panel as to how I would market my President? We had just had the East Pakistan debacle and we had suffered the consequences of a country rent asunder. Tell me how? Will you have your nerve about you when the question of this kind is put to you? How will you deal with the proposition-positively or negatively? We will leave that for another day.
Source: http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=1056812&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate=
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