Pakistan defers applications on GM corn and cotton — The Express Tribune

At its 38th meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan’s National Biosafety Committee deferred consideration of applications for the import of soybean meal for food, feed and processing uses, the renewal of biosafety licenses for genetically modified corn, and several applications concerning cotton. As The Express Tribune reports, the committee considered the conclusions of its technical body insufficiently clear to make decisions.

Cases sent back for further work

The meeting was held at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination. The committee instructed the Technical Advisory Committee to reconsider the cases and submit clear recommendations and conclusions for final consideration by the National Biosafety Committee.

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Framework for biotechnology crops

Committee members also asked for clarification on the status of the commercialization of genetically modified corn. A representative of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research explained that in 2019, the government suspended the commercialization of biotechnology food crops pending the development of a comprehensive policy.

According to him, this gap was addressed by the approval and official publication of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy 2025. It establishes a regulatory framework for assessing and commercializing agricultural biotechnology products. The representative stated that the concerns that led to the 2019 decision had been addressed and that the relevant authorities had been notified that they could act within the approved policy.