Genetically modified crops: local company to set up learning centres for farmers

Monsanto Pakistan has planned to set up a 'learning centre' to educate the growers about advantages and benefits of genetically modified crops. For this purpose, it plans to convert its Manga Mandi research farm into a learning centre to create awareness amongst the farmers about the advantages of the crops.
Similarly, a 'Dealers University' is also planned at the same place where the company's dealers will be educated about the technology and products of Monsanto for further dissemination of this information to their customers. This was stated by Monsanto Pakistan's country leader, Aamir Mahmood Mirza while talking to a group of agricultural experts, which visited Monsanto's Manga Mandi Farm the other day to witness the results of field trials of Genetically Modified Corn.
Aamir and other senior officials of the company carrying out trials at the farm briefed experts about the variety "VT Double Pro" being planted across the globe. Now, trials are being carried out by the company in Pakistan before its commercial sale and large-scale plantation after the approval from the authorities concerned. Experts expressed their satisfaction over the progress of the GM corn field trials.
Monsanto officials pointed out that that GM corn could increase the productivity of corn, an important food crop after wheat and rice, in Pakistan and bring more reliable and cost-effective solutions. They stated corn is a profitable crop for farmers and now many progressive farmers in Central Punjab are sowing this crop. Monsanto's GM corn variety having resistance against weeds and insect are termed as yield saving varieties due to which farmers get an incremental benefit, Aamir said while replying to queries of the visitors.
He said Monsanto has also developed linkages with Rafhan to help the corn growers in marketing of their crop. It has also identified two to three hybrids of corn, which are better for silage and a white hybrid for KPK areas. Through a presentation it was also informed on the occasion that usage of Genetically Modified crops has reduced the usage of pesticides world over by 17.1 percent in the year 2010.
Carbon emissions had been cut by 17.7billion kg CO2 equivalent to taking 7 million cars off the road. In year 2010, 15.4 million farmers were using GM crops world-wide and 1.4 million of them adopted this technology in year 2010. Pakistan, Myanmar and Sweden are the three countries, which joined the battery of countries cultivating GM crops in the year 2010.
Prominent among those who visited the farm included Director General Agriculture (Extension and AR), Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali, Director Maize and Millets Research Institute Dr Abdul Hameed, former Chairman Aptma, Tariq Mehmood, Ahsan Rana, Executive Director Agriculture Research & Advocacy Centre (ARAC), and Dr Kauser Abdullah Malik, a senior scientist and former member agriculture, Planning Commission.