The National Biosafety Committee (NBC) meets on Friday to consider a range of biosafety applications, including long-pending cases related to genetically modified (GM) corn technologies, according to a statement issued on Thursday.
The agenda follows the government’s approval earlier this year of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy, which the government says will strengthen the regulatory framework for agricultural innovations. No decision on the pending applications has been announced.
CropLife Pakistan, an industry body representing seed and crop-protection companies, said approval of the pending GM corn biosafety licences would mark a milestone for agricultural biotechnology. CropLife Pakistan Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed said such a move could accelerate the adoption of advanced seed technologies, which he said would improve farm productivity, food security and the competitiveness of the sector.
GM corn has been cultivated commercially for more than two decades and is widely grown in major agricultural economies and across the Asia-Pacific region.
