CLPA urges timely implementation of agri biotech policy

LAHORE: The CropLife Pakistan Association (CLPA) has urged stakeholders in Pakistan’s seed and agriculture sectors to support the timely implementation of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy, approved by the Prime Minister and Federal Cabinet, and engage in the adoption of Genetically Modified (GM) maize technologies.

Talking to Business Recorder on Tuesday, CLPA Executive Director Rashid Ahmed said recent public commentary had created misleading concerns about GM maize, particularly regarding cross-pollination, the future of the local seed industry and the role of international technology developers.

He said innovation, development of the local seed industry and national agricultural interests could move forward together under a transparent, science-based regulatory framework.

“The National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy has been approved in the national interest after extensive consultation. At this stage, Pakistan needs implementation, collaboration and constructive engagement, not misinformation or resistance driven by narrow commercial considerations,” Rashid Ahmed said.

He urged national seed companies, technology providers, farmers, researchers, regulators and industry associations to work together to ensure Pakistan benefits from modern agricultural technologies.

The CLPA representative said its member companies followed international practices under which national seed companies could access technologies through licensing and partnerships. Such models, it added, had enabled local and regional seed companies in other Asian markets to commercialize approved biotech traits in locally relevant hybrids while continuing to develop their own seed portfolios and farmer relationships.

Citing the Philippines and Vietnam, he said technology licensing had created opportunities for local seed businesses, enabling them to develop and supply locally relevant GM maize hybrids after regulatory approvals. These examples, it maintained, demonstrated that biotechnology adoption, supported by responsible stewardship and clear regulation, could strengthen rather than displace national seed sectors.

Rashid Ahmed said Pakistan’s seed industry should align itself with this global direction and support implementation of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy.

“It is inconsistent to participate in international seed forums that support innovation while opposing Pakistan’s own national policy for agricultural biotechnology. Pakistan must not be held back when other countries are moving ahead under science-based regulatory systems,” he said.

The CLPA has invited national seed associations and local seed companies to engage in dialogue on technology licensing, stewardship, coexistence and commercialization opportunities. It said open discussion could address genuine concerns, create business opportunities for local companies and provide farmers with improved choices.

Pakistan already had seed-production experience, isolation protocols and quality-control systems that could be strengthened for responsible GM maize adoption. Such measures, it added, could protect farmer choice, maintain seed purity and support both GM and non-GM value chains where required.

According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, around 76 percent of the country’s maize seed requirement during July-March was met through imports, while 24 percent came from local public and private-sector seed production.

The CLPA said both local seed companies and its member companies already produced hybrid maize seed under strict protocols, including quality standards, field inspections and appropriate isolation of seed-production plots from conventional maize hybrids. Similar stewardship and quality-control measures, it maintained, could be applied to GM maize. The association said Pakistan should learn from past delays in adopting agricultural biotechnology and avoid missing similar opportunities, as it had done with cotton technologies.

“The choice before Pakistan is not between local seed companies and technology developers,” Rashid Ahmed said. “The real choice is whether Pakistan will build a competitive, innovation-driven agriculture sector or continue ignoring technologies that can help improve productivity, resilience and farmer livelihoods.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026