ISLAMABAD: National Biosafety Committee Friday deferred consideration of the pending cases of regulatory approvals related to Food, Feed and Processing (FFP).
The 38th meeting of the National Biosafety Committee (NBC), held at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.
During the meeting Committee reviewed agenda items relating to Food, Feed and Processing (FFP) approvals for soyabean meal imports, renewal of GM corn biosafety licences, and several cotton-related applications.
Following deliberations, the Chair of the NBC, Secretary Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, observed that the recommendations forwarded from the 45th Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting did not provide sufficiently clear conclusions for decision-making. Consequently, the NBC deferred consideration of the pending cases and directed that they be re-examined by the TAC, with clear recommendations and conclusions submitted to the NBC for final consideration.
During the discussion, members also sought clarification regarding the holding of GM corn commercialization activities. The representative of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research explained that, in 2019, the Government of Pakistan had decided to place commercialization activities for biotech food crops on hold until a comprehensive policy framework was developed. It was further clarified that this policy gap has now been addressed through the approval and notification of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy (NABP) 2025, which provides a clear regulatory framework for the evaluation and commercialization of agricultural biotechnology products. As a result, the reservations that led to the 2019 decision have been resolved, and relevant authorities have been informed to proceed in accordance with the approved policy framework.
The discussion highlighted that the policy and regulatory requirements which previously constrained progress on biotech food crops have now been fulfilled. It is anticipated that, following the TAC’s review and submission of clear recommendations, the NBC will be in a position to take decisions on the pending applications and facilitate the implementation of Pakistan’s agricultural biotechnology policy objectives.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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