The federal government is considering renewing licenses for the commercialization and cultivation of genetically modified maize in Pakistan, despite opposition from scientists, exporters, environmental regulators, and security agencies, reported Dawn.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination had scheduled a meeting on Wednesday to review applications from GMO seed companies seeking permission to commercialize and sell genetically modified maize nationwide. However, the 38th meeting of the National Biosafety Committee was postponed until Monday.
The move comes days after scientists raised red flags over plans to commercialize GMO maize, warning that it could contaminate conventional crops, hurt exports, and increase dependence on imported seed technology. The concerns were discussed during a consultative meeting on June 10 and documented in minutes of the 45th meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee.
Researchers, provincial representatives, and environmental regulators urged caution before allowing commercial cultivation.
Dr. Nasir A. Saeed, Director of the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering and Vice Chairperson of the Technical Advisory Committee, recalled that licenses for GMO maize were suspended in 2019 because maize is a highly cross pollinated crop, making it difficult to prevent gene flow and contamination of conventional maize varieties.
Pakistan first issued licenses to Corteva, formerly Pioneer, in 2016 and Bayer in 2017, allowing only confined field trials of GMO maize events. Those licenses expired in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
In May 2019, all biosafety licenses relating to the import and field trials of GMO maize were suspended due to concerns about health, environmental risks, and contamination of non GMO maize.
Dr. Saeed told the Technical Advisory Committee that Pakistan already records maize yields exceeding 100 maunds per acre in some areas and questioned whether genetically modified maize was needed at all.
Zakia Javed, representing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Agency, also argued that commercial cultivation should not be allowed without conducting field trials and consulting all relevant stakeholders.
Local exporters have also expressed concerns. Rafhan Maize Products Company and other firms exporting maize and value added products to Europe warned that commercialization of GMO maize could affect shipments to European markets, where buyers generally prefer genetically modified free products.
National security agencies, including the Strategic Planning Division and the Inter Services Intelligence, have also voiced reservations over dependence on imported genetically modified seeds, saying disruptions in global supply chains could threaten domestic agricultural production.
According to minutes of an earlier meeting, an ISI representative strongly opposed commercialization, arguing that GMO maize offers no significant advantage in terms of yields or production costs while potentially jeopardizing exports.
Internationally, several countries maintain restrictions on GMO maize. The European Union limits its use in feed beyond specified thresholds and bans cultivation in many member states.
India has not approved genetically modified maize for commercial cultivation, food, or feed use, while China has yet to permit commercial cultivation. Türkiye maintains a zero tolerance policy for growing genetically modified crops, and Australia does not allow commercial cultivation of the GMO maize events under consideration.
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