ISLAMABAD: Singa­pore-based international organisation CropLife Asia — carrying out research and development to introduce innovations in crop protection and plant bio-technology — has suggested that Pakistan should introduce bio-technology to enhance farm production beyond self-sufficiency.

“Pakistan is on track, and after attaining self-sufficiency in food, the country is set to introduce bio-technology to make agricultural production sustainable and improve conditions of the farmers,” Tan Siang-Hee, Executive Director of ‘CropLife Asia’ told media on Wednesday.

Dr Siang-Hee held a meeting with the Minister for National Food Security and Research, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, and said that the ministry should play the leadership role in its national responsibility of introducing regulations on bio-technology.

Pakistan is an innovative country and ready to adapt to new challenges. Many international regulating authorities have approved bio-technology. The regulatory frameworks have become effective on its use. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, have 1pc contribution in agriculture, but contributing many more times in their GDP. Pakistan should introduce tax incentives and modern technology to its farmers, he said.

Mr Bosan informed the CropLife official that the government will have to develop a consensus on the issue of bio-technology, and in this regard consultations shall take place with all stakeholders, including the farming community. The use of bio-technology is already under consideration of the government and a committee has been formed, Bosan said.

Later, speaking to media, Dr Siang-Hee said that Pakistan has bright prospects of doubling the yields of rice and maize crops by applying bio-technology methods. He said that Pakistan is still not importing genetically modified organism (GMO) foods. Most EU countries, Japan, Korea and China are importing genetically modified corn, soya, soya-meal, and canola.

He disclosed that 18m farmers around the world have successfully adopted bio-technology; with this, the total beneficiary peasant families have reached 65m families.

Globally, a total area of bio-tech crops since 1996 has reached 185.1m hectares in 26 industrialised and developing countries.

Dr Hee stressed the need for Pakistani farmers to be educated about the introduction and benefits of bio-technology, improvements in infrastructure of agriculture as a whole, and suggested the government to take measures for value-addition, processing and efficient mechanism for export of fruits and vegetables.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2017