PARC called moot for endorsement of commercial GM corn

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) had called a moot at the eleventh hour for Variety Evaluation Committee (VAC) for endorsement of profitable farming of genetically modified (GM) corn in the country developed by multinational seed companies at a fast pace.

PARC called moot for endorsement of commercial GM corn

Stakeholders in seed business strongly conflicting the preamble of genetically modified corn’s commercial cultivation being an edible crop. It is in the best welfare of consumers and farmers that the country continued with the hybrid corn,

Which is abundantly being produced in the country as per requirements. Furthermore, the speculation in local hybrids developed by seed industry also required prioritizing hybrids of maize.

The exports of maize-based value-added products from Pakistan could only be continual on sustained basis if the local growers stick with hybrid technology and abstain from allowing genetically modified corn seeds.

Most prominently, it would show the way to loss of export business as more than a few countries/regions which import the value-added products based on maize and edible crops from Pakistan are anti-genetically modified crops such as Turkey, European Union, Africa and Russia.

Pakistan will not be competent to export its products to these regions and countries, thus brutally curb exports.

Pakistan’s per hectare production of corn was already screening upward trend and with five tons per hectare output of corn hybrids, Pakistan was already in front of numerous countries that permissible genetically modified corn.

Pakistan must meet the need of corn through local production and there is no need to experiment with genetically modified organisms, which have several demonstrated issues.