|
Need to adopt
bio-safety guidelines in cotton stressed
ISLAMABAD-Pakistan is likely to be left out of international
cotton business in the coming years if it does not adopt
bio-safety guidelines without further delay to introduce
genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) for new and efficient
varieties.
This was said by Dr Anwar Nasim (S.I), National Commission on
Biotechnology chairman and advisor to the OIC Standing
Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Comstech),
in an interview with Dawn.
The bio-safety guidelines, he said, were prepared last year
through involvement of scientists, companies, various
ministries, research institutes, non-governmental organization
(NGOs) and United Nations agencies. However, these are yet to
be implemented for bringing scientific revolution in the
agriculture sector.
"This is highly objectionable and inappropriate that bio-
safety rules have not been put in place despite passage of 15
months," Dr Nasim said.
Global scenario is changing. Syria, Egypt, Bangladesh, India
and China have adopted bio-technology laws. They are taking
advantage of information and scientific development for
agriculture revolution. Nobody is going to wait for Pakistan,
he added.
At the laboratory level, Pakistan has developed GMOs of
cotton, sugarcane, soya bean and tomatoes, but these cannot be
declared in the absence of bio-safety laws. Moreover,
quantification of benefits cannot be ascertained unless these
GMOs are released.
"We understand concerns of the NGOs and civil societies, but
not using knowledge for better future and economic results is
equally bad. Non-utilization of knowledge in the society is
criminal. New information and technology are becoming
available and we have to take a balance approach; examine
potential threats and address them, but should not delay
introduction of new varieties," Dr Nasim said.
India, the largest cotton cultivating country in the world
with nearly nine million hactares allocated for the purpose,
has, last month, allowed about 150,000 hactares to be used for
BT- cotton, a newly-discovered GMO believed to have almost 100
per cent resistance level against bollworm.
This is the first genetically-engineered hybrid - three
different varieties of BT-cotton - allowed for commercial
sowing by any country in the region following China.
China, after experiments, discovered that BT-cotton was not
only bollworm resistant, but also increased the crop-yield and
farm income drastically through reduced pesticide and
fertilizer usage. It is very happy with the outcome and is now
increasing its area for GMOs, he said.
The bureaucracy and interest groups will not allow scientists
to lead the country to development, the National Commission on
Biotechnology chairman said.
Pakistan had been delaying introduction of information
technology and India took advantage of the situation at the
beginning and got the results, he said. Similarly, in
biotechnology, we are lagging behind and our neighbors can
take a quantum leap through scientific research in
agriculture, Dr Nasim said. Multinational companies, he said,
had transgenetic crops of cotton that were resistant to
bollworm, but Pakistan could not use these in the absence of
regulations.
The curl-leaf disease alone in Pakistan is causing a loss
worth Rs6 billion every year, but scientists can not release
resistant varieties unless bio-safety laws are in place.
To a question about potential risks, he said one should be
cautious, but there must be some action. He said experiments
on limited scale could be the best option so that new seeds
were introduced. If results are good then the farmers will
themselves go for more seeds.
Dr Nasim said committees would be constituted in this regard
at three levels - institutional, ministerial and national -
under the bio-safety laws to monitor and examine the
weaknesses at every level.
Pakistan, he said, should take advantage of transgenic crops
available at home or internationally. National Institute for
Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering in Faisalabad has done a
lot of work that should be utilized.
He said President Gen Pervez Musharraf had declared
biotechnology as his top priority, however solid steps needed
to be taken in this sector. The environment minister has now
promised that new laws will not require Cabinet approval and
will be introduced through Environment Protection Act.
courtesy Daily Dawn, 20
April, 2002
|
Pakissan.com;
|
