CropLife Pakistan Executive Director Dr Afzal has urged the government to take its decisions regarding GM Maize on the established regulatory structure and use science as the base to clarify issues, in order to safeguard the interest of the farmer and restore confidence of the plant science industry.
The maize crop in Pakistan presents a phenomenal success story as since introducing high yield maize seeds in the 1990s, CropLife member companies have maintained a firm commitment towards bringing the latest agriculture technologies and innovation to Pakistan, having already invested millions on research, infrastructure and farmer education programs across the country. The technology is ideally suited to small-hold farmers, providing protection against chewing insects and allows for improved weed management. The two traits combined, enable higher yields and reduce input costs for the farmer.
In line with this commitment, CropLife member companies initiated the process to introduce GM Maize in year 2009 adopted globally since 1990s subsequently our members completed all the regulatory requirements mandated under the National Biosafety Rules 2005, Seed (Amendment) Act 2015 and Seed (Business Regulation) Rules 2016.
However, as the member companies approached the conclusive stage of approvals for this innovative seed technology, the standard established regulatory process was stopped by the Ministry of National Food Security & Research, said the Executive Director, CropLife Pakistan Association, Dr. Muhammad Afzal, while talking to media persons the other day.
He explained that the stopping an established regulatory process has undermined the existing regulatory regime, on the one hand and hurt the confidence of the industry, on the other hand. He emphasized that rule of law must prevail. The situation, if allowed to prevail, will only serve to block the path of future investments in the emerging agriculture technologies in the country, he lamented.
Dr Afzal expressed that the Government must take its decisions on the established regulatory structure and use science as the base to clarify issues, in order to safeguard the interest of the farmer and restore confidence of the plant science industry. He remarked that the situation of country's cotton crop remains a stark reminder of previous indecision on similar technologies, resulting in a steady productivity decline over the past few years.
The exponential growth of maize crop in Pakistan owes largely to the rapid adoption of hybrid seeds in place of the traditional open pollinated varieties, with diminished yield potential. According to statistics published by Government of Pakistan, the average yields across Punjab have seen a fourfold increase, starting at 14 mounds per acre in 1996 and reaching an impressive 60 mounds per acre in 2017.
Consequently, the area under maize cultivation in Punjab alone has more than doubled and overall crop production increased eightfold, going from 0.68 million tons in 1996 to 5.2 million tons in 2017. Based on current industry estimates, CropLife member companies hold almost 90 percent of the market share for hybrid seed across the country; a testament to the superior quality and research capability of CropLife members.
However, with over 95 percent of maize crop area in Punjab already covered to hybrid maize, further increase in productivity will be marginal unless newer innovative technologies are embraced. Biotech maize or GM maize is one such technology, enabling farmers to produce more using fewer resources while reducing yield loss from pests and weeds. Existing scientific literature shows that between 15 percent to 30 percent yield advantages can be attained easily through this technology, this has been confirmed in Pakistan during the registration trials conducted by Government agencies during last couple of years.
In practice, however, the observations are far more impressive. For example, maize crop yields in the U.S. increased by 56 percent after adoption of GM technology. Similarly, the average yield of maize in Brazil increased by 102 percent through GM technology while in the case of Philippines, it increased by 72 percent.
Domestic demand for maize is also ever-growing, with poultry sector alone accounting for almost 70 percent of all grain produced locally. According to Pakistan Poultry Association, the sector is projected to grow at 10-12 percent per annum and will therefore require more than 7 million tons of maize grain by 2023, a volume exceeding annual maize production in 2017. Therefore, increase in yield and productivity, together with overall improvement of maize crop economics, will be central to Pakistan's food security.
Contrary to an often-propagated myth, GM crops are widely accepted and imported for food, feed and processing. Pakistan's National Biosafety Committee (NBC, under the Ministry of Climate Change) approved safety of the traits approved by the applicants, in 2016. In terms of health and environmental safety, GM crops have an unblemished safety record over the past more than 20 years and are approved by food safety and environment protection agencies of all major developed nations (U.S, Canada, Japan, Australia, EU, Brazil, China, Korea etc.).
In fact, four leading exporters of GM crops, namely, U.S., Brazil, Argentina and Canada, trade with more than 150 countries across the world. Even the European Union, which has a politically opposed view on GM crops, freely imports GM grain and is currently the second largest importer, consuming more than 30 million tons of GM grain each year.
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