NBC to take up GM corn cases on Friday

Committee to consider long-pending biosafety cases; none GMO still sells at premium

ISLAMABAD:

The National Biosafety Committee (NBC) meets on Friday to consider a range of biosafety applications, including long-pending cases related to genetically modified (GM) corn technologies, according to a statement issued on Thursday.

The agenda follows the government's approval earlier this year of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy, which the government says will strengthen the regulatory framework for agricultural innovations. No decision on the pending applications has been announced.

CropLife Pakistan, an industry body representing seed and crop-protection companies, said approval of the pending GM corn biosafety licences would mark a milestone for agricultural biotechnology. CropLife Pakistan Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed said such a move could accelerate the adoption of advanced seed technologies, which he said would improve farm productivity, food security and the competitiveness of the sector.

GM corn has been cultivated commercially for more than two decades and is widely grown in major agricultural economies and across the Asia-Pacific region.

The committee's deliberations come against a separate constraint on the sector. Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) Country Head and Head of Grains and Oilseeds Muhammad Daniyal told The Express Tribune last month that Pakistan produces excellent non-GMO corn, which commands a higher price globally, but that inadequate systems for drying, storing and transporting the crop mean Pakistani corn is often not purchased in international markets at all. Where a buyer is willing, he said, agreements are struck at prices 10% to 15% below prevailing market rates. Daniyal said the issue was directly linked to the absence of basic infrastructure, and that aligning harvesting, drying, storage and marketing with required standards could earn the country millions of dollars.