Govt to Decide on GMO Maize Licenses Today

The National Biosafety Committee in Pakistan is scheduled to review the renewal of licenses for genetically modified maize varieties during its 38th meeting on October 23. This decision comes amid debates over whether to approve such renewals before a comprehensive federal review is complete. The agenda includes applications for insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant maize types developed by multinational firms Corteva and Bayer.

Environmental groups and agricultural experts argue that commercial approvals should be postponed until the specialized committee completes its evaluation of the economic and environmental impacts of GMO maize cultivation. The National Biosafety Committee, under the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, governs genetically modified organisms within Pakistan’s biosafety regulations.

Critics contend that approving renewals before the prime minister’s committee finalizes its guidelines could compromise the ongoing assessment. They argue that extending commercial licenses may grant market access without addressing concerns regarding the crop’s environmental and economic sustainability. A July 2019 directive halted GMO maize experiments and import authorizations due to worries about unintended crop contamination, cross-pollination, and potential harm to Pakistan’s non-GMO maize export market.

Subsequent cross-ministerial discussions, led by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, found no significant productivity benefits or financial savings from genetically modified seeds compared to conventional hybrid varieties. Legislation and provincial governments, like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also opposed GMO maize in favor of non-GMO hybrid seeds prevalent in nations like China, India, and Turkey.

The committee will also address a request from Zubair Feeds (Pvt.) Ltd. to import 47 authorized GM soybean varieties for animal feed processing, as Pakistan advances a comprehensive framework for domestic soybean production and imports. On the agenda is a field testing application for UAM 2026, a multi-gene cotton variety developed by MNS University of Agriculture in Multan, designed to combat pink bollworm damage and invasive weeds.

Under the Pakistan Biosafety Rules 2005 and international obligations under the Cartagena Protocol, commercial approvals and product imports necessitate post-market surveillance, pest resistance documentation, and appraisals of environmental and economic consequences. Critics claim approving commercial renewals without disclosing safety assessments could diminish transparency and environmental safeguards, elevating the risk of contamination that led to the 2019 restrictions. Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik was unavailable for comment at the time of this report.