KARACHI: Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds would bring an agricultural slavery in Pakistan besides diseases, as our farmers would be fully dependent on the GMO seeds making companies that would dictate our agriculture policies and negatively affect our food security, warned Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here Sunday.

In a statement, he said Pakistan is amongst the hardest hit countries of environment change, but some powerful lobbies are set to introduce harmful GMO seeds for crucial crops in the country which will bring a huge environmental and agricultural disaster. He said due to very harmful effects, the GMO seeds were being banned by more and more countries in the world but here in Pakistan, a certain lobby backed by the rulers was hell bent to introduce the dangerous GMO seeds in the country.

He said several countries already had restrictions or bans on the importation of GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) produce, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia (some states), Austria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Croatia, Sri Lanka, Kenya (partial ban), Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Belize.

He said the sugarcane mafia in Pakistan and their backers sitting in our assemblies were hatching a dark conspiracy to slap those anti-farmers and anti-country technologies to Pakistan. He said sadly, the opposition was also silent on this crucial issue. He asked if a particular GMO seed making company had purchased all of them.

He said the scientists globally were worried about the harmful effects of GMO seeds on the environment and their safety for human consumption, particularly surrounding illnesses and allergies. He said that these seeds are amongst the main causes of spread of cancer and allergies in humans.