The Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Tariq Bashir Cheema, had objected to using the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) soybean in poultry feed, saying that its use is dangerous for health as it may cause cancer.
The other health hazards connected with GMO soybean are the transfer of antibiotic resistance, toxicity and allergenicity which have led to several allergic reactions. But now the same is being imported and allowed, based on the importers undertaking that they are non-GMO.
The government could not properly inspect the imported oilseeds and failed to test that they were non-GMO through third-party verification even after the financial losses to importers and the poultry industry due to the stoppage of containers of oilseeds worth about $400 million at Karachi port.
The government was under severe pressure from importers and the poultry industry to reach an acceptable solution for all stakeholders.
?Later, it was decided to inspect the oilseed and take the decision in this regard. Ministry of Food claims that those consignments proved to be GMO would be re-exported.
The informed sources claim that all the containers of oilseeds at Karachi port have been released, based upon the undertaking and fumigation by the Plant Protection Department.
The Ministry of Climate Change, responsible for inspecting GMO oilseeds, did not carry out its mandate to inspect and test the imported seeds, despite the appearance of the issue in media several times.
In October 2022, the Customs Department had seized nine vessels without NOCs from the Ministry of Climate Change. An importer has given the undertaking on its letterhead: We hereby undertake that 3000 MT Soybean seed loaded on the vessel MV CI DAYANG HE is non-GMO and fit for human consumption.