Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistani agro-scientist should expedite their research activities in agro-biotechnology in order to create significant impact in enhancing agriculture production in the country.

Talking to the Daily Times, agro-biotechnology experts and agriculturists on cotton, maize, corn and other crops said Pakistan should follow the developed world and developing nations like The Philippines and India who have already made significant economic progress by adopting the latest agri-technologies.

Though Pakistan has been conducting regulatory field trials and research on ground for biotech cotton and corn but there was the need to exploit more avenues introduced in the modern agro-base technologies in the world.

The concerned government departments and ministry should also allocate more funds in this sector in the upcoming annual budget, they opined.

“Cotton has remained a vital cash crop and country needs above 16 million bales every crop season, as cotton related textile sector feeds a large number of direct and indirect employment besides textile export stands number one on five prime exporting sectors”, President of Sindh Agriculture Forum, Shakeel Ahmad said.

The positive impact of biotech crops around the world is evident in reducing pesticide usage, which is subsequently a positive for the environment, he added.

Cotton, corn and wheat would continue to be important crops for our economy and farmers therefore we must continuously apply better technologies.

Water availability for agriculture is going down and while this will require major decisions, biotechnology can help in growing crops, which utilise less water and fertilizers.

Ahmad said there was dire need of biotechnology induction especially in major crops, as textile sector bore around $15-$20 billion on imports annually.

Greater velocity in research activities will help in improving rural farm incomes and bring positive economic impact to people in the traditional corn and cotton belts as well the northern parts of the country, cotton expert and patron-in-chief Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, Rana Abdul Sattar said.

Pakistan should focus on attaining sustainable higher yields and better water management to avert food shortages in the coming two decades.

An expert on Life Sciences, Punjab University described biotechnology benefits for farmers and outlined the achievements in attaining enhanced maize and corn yields by farmers.

Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) maize and corn provides excellent season-long protection against the target pests like corn borer and stalk borer.

Corn contains a natural occurring protein (Bt) that helps protect plants from specific lepidopteron insect pests. They said with a growing population it is imperative that Pakistan should focus on attaining sustainable higher yields and better water management to avert food shortages in the coming two decades.

We need to be more focused and take quick decisions. The 21st century has begun with a population of 6.2 billion and likely to increase to 9.2 billion by 2050.