Committee chief flayed for supporting GMO maize

MNA says GMO seeds give no <br /> yield benefit

LAHORE: Several members of the National Assembly have lashed out at the chairman of the standing committee on food security for unduly raising voice in favour of commercialisation of genetically modified organism (GMO) maize seeds.

The opposition to the abrupt move came in last meeting of the standing committee held under the chairmanship of MNA Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan on May 16. The issue was not part of the meeting agenda and committee members were surprised when the chairman started speaking in support of GMO seeds.

Khan was of the view that Pakistan should approve GMO corn for cultivation as it would help increase the yield and enable farmers to earn more. He told the committee members that the sowing of GMO corn was also beneficial for the economy as it would help increase exports, especially to the Chinese market.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Nausheen Hamid said there should be no discussion on the issue as it was not part of the agenda. “GMO seeds pose health hazards and give no benefits in terms of yield and protection from pests and diseases. They are being promoted by some companies due to obvious reasons,” she said.

Major stakeholders reject sowing of GM corn seeds

PTI MNA from Peshawar Shaukat Ali also opposed the favouritism shown by the committee chairman. He asked the committee members that they should not jump to any conclusion in favour of the seeds and the appropriate way was to discuss the issue in light of the opinion of the stakeholders, especially the departments concerned.

When approached, MNA Nausheen Hamid said there were several pressing questions that should be answered before considering the introduction of GMO maize for cultivation in the country.

She pointed out that farmers were currently benefitting from imported and locally produced seeds and increase in their per-acre yield was marvellous. However, after the introduction of GMO maize, the farmers may be completely at the mercy of foreign companies for the purchase of costly imported seeds, she cautioned. “All of Europe, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Uzbekistan, Turkey and India have not approved the introduction of GMO maize,” she said.

When contacted, Ajmal Khan said he actively supported the introduction of GMO seeds, saying Pakistan would get tremendous benefits due to enhanced production. He, however, did not respond to the allegation of unjustified support for the powerful GMO lobby.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2019.

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