LAHORE, Oct 25: The federal environment ministry has yet to approve the draft biosafety guidelines for commercial use of biotechnology in agriculture (and industry) in Pakistan.
“We’re eagerly waiting for the approval of the guidelines, and enactment of a law based on them in order to begin marketing of genetically modified organisms in Pakistan,” officials of a multinational company told Dawn.
The guidelines were drawn up earlier this year by the National Biosafety Committee constituted by the environment, local government and rural development ministry.
The need for guidelines, said the industry sources, “arose from the necessity of having appropriate biosafety procedures for guiding researchers in their laboratory work to develop GMOs, and to enable the eventual use of GMOs, and the products for economic gains”.
The purpose of the biosafety procedures is to “discern harmful potential to the environment or to human beings stemming from GMOs and the products thereof”. Their scope embraces all the work related to the gene manipulation in microbes, plants, and animals in the laboratory research, field testing, and commercial uses.
The document also outlines special requirements for laboratory genetic manipulation works involving hazardous genetic fragments, the use of live viral vectors, engineering of transgenic animals, work with whole plants, and genetic engineering of the infectious animals. Moreover, the draft proposes regulations for movement of regulated materials and sanctions on those who violate the safety guidelines and measures.
The draft calls for three-tier monitoring and implementation of the policy rules and procedures by the institutional, ministerial and national biosafety committees. The committees, as proposed in the draft, will comprise persons suitably qualified to understand the possible risks (associated with GMOs) and evaluate them”.
The institutional biosafety committee would “enforce all regulations and disallow a project found to be a threat to public, environment or lab personnel”. The (inter)ministerial committee would enforce all measures needed to eliminate any threat to safety of personnel, community, or environment from projects that fall under its jurisdiction. It will have powers to stop a project on the recommendations of IBC. The national committee would draft and adopt legislation or measures to ensure safety of the human beings and environment. It would have powers to shelve a project through the relevant ministerial committee if it is unsafe. It will approve “deregulation of all regulated material for free movement and commercial release on the recommendation of the ministerial committee”.
The use of biotech crops is stated to be increasing across the globe with 14 countries growing eight “genetically improved” crops including maize, soybean, potato, corn, tomato, canola, and maize.
The global area under transgenic crops grew to 44.2 million hectares in 2000 from 1.70 million hectares in 1996. The US alone grows transgenic crops on 30.3 million hectares. Argentina has the second largest area under transgenic crops with 10 million hectares.