Topic: 2024-GMOs and Food Security
Country: Pakistan
Delegate Name: Carter Hilliard
As a nation that has recently experienced severe food insecurity, Pakistan is extremely sympathetic to areas that are currently struggling. This being said, Pakistan has consistently been opposed to deregulation of GMOs. Recently however, Pakistan has permitted the import of genetically modified seeds, and this may reflect a potential softening of their views on GMOs. In 2012 the only legal GMO plant in Pakistan was Bt cotton, but now the import of any genetically modified plant is allowed, yet strictly controlled. Pakistan is in favor of potentially using GMOs to increase food production in areas struggling with food insecurity, but they believe that there should still be strict controls and regulations on them to avoid moral and health issues.
On November 5, 2024, Pakistan released their long standing ban on many genetically modified organisms, allowing multiple companies to import genetically modified soybean crops. This move will help to produce higher quantities of feed for poultry and other livestock. It has been endorsed by the Pakistan Poultry Association and several other agricultural stakeholders. This follows a trend in Pakistani public policy to reduce food insecurities that have plagued Pakistan for the past while. Pakistan hopes that other nations will follow their actions in eliminating total bans on genetically modified agricultural products as a method of increasing food production even in nations without the resources to develop their own GMO technology.
The Pakistani government, despite a recent loosening of regulations on genetically modified imports and food crops, is still concerned about the prevalence of and reliance on GMOs that has only worsened in the past few years. There are still many unknowns about the use of GMOs that deserve more time to be looked into before their use is truly widespread. Even though using GMOs to reduce food insecurities is a method that Pakistan is employing, they are also in favor of alternative methods for reducing food insecurities, such as the use of less invasive synthetic biology to increase food production.
