Experts urge use of bio-tech for sustainable yield

'Countering climate change, food security, better harvest among benefits'

KARACHI:

Biotechnology can enhance sustainable yield potential with the use of green fuel and environmentally friendly fertilisers. The views were expressed by speakers at seminars organised last month by the US Consulate General in Karachi and the Sindh government to promote biotechnology and awareness on climate change.

Sindh Agriculture Secretary Abdul Rahim Soomro emphasised that innovation was essential for the sector to improve.

Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tando Jam Biotechnology Department Chairperson Dr Muharram Ali stressed on the importance of biotechnology in the agricultural sector in Pakistan. "Green biotechnology provides ways to improve sustainable yield potential with eco-friendly use of fuel and fertiliser."

Meanwhile, Dr Heman Das Lohano emphasised the urgency for greater action to combat climate change in light of population growth. He outlined that biotechnology is the most efficient way to combat climate change besides supporting Pakistan's food security.

The seminars brought together community leaders, including landowners and farmers, to highlight the importance of agricultural biotechnology in increasing crop yields and in mitigating the impacts of climate change in Sindh.

Every participant committed to individual action plans to support sustainable agriculture in Sindh, recognising the significant role of the agricultural sector in tackling the challenges of climate change.

Local participants were virtually joined by American academics, including Cornell University research professor Dr Sarah Evanega. She explained that crops were being improved with biotech to incorporate new traits to make them easier to grow with fewer inputs. The professor said this would result in greater yields.

Giving a presentation on the importance of biotechnology for sustainable agriculture, Dr Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes, a professor at the University of Missouri, said, "We find that ,on average, yields increase more than 25 per cent with biotechnology".

He added that companies must know they are operating in an environment that is going to protect people's intellectual property and regulate their technology in a fair and predictable way.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2021.