Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of imported oilseeds that are essential to Pakistan’s food security are presently stranded at Port Qasim in Karachi as they wait for a certificate from the ministry of climate change to be issued.
To achieve its calorie requirements, Pakistan is mainly dependent on imported oilseeds. Oilseeds are seeds that are primarily produced for the purpose of making edible oils. Both peanuts and soybeans fall within the category of oilseeds in a broader sense.
Olives, palm, canola, and sunflower are some further examples. The issue is that Pakistan does not have high-quality genetically modified oilseed crops (GMOs). Floods and other climatic calamities are not a problem for GMOs.
However, GMO seeds are brought in from abroad and planted in Pakistan due to the country’s high need for edible oil. Pakistan’s imports of palm and soybean products were US$ 4 billion in FY21, up 47 percent year over year, according to a study from the central bank, compared to compound annual growth of 12.3 percent over the previous 20 years.
This is mostly a result of Pakistan’s dependence on imported GMO seeds due to its inability to produce its own. However, there may be a significant delay in the seeds reaching the market if shipments are stopped at the port.
A member of the All Pakistan Solvent Extractors’ Association (APSEA) claims that since October 20th of this year, two shipments of essential oilseeds have not been cleared. According to a dependable source at the Plant Protection Department (DPP) of the Ministry of Food Security and Research, the shipment was halted because the Ministry of Climate Change issued a certificate.
Four years ago, the climate change ministry instituted the need for a certificate, and importers applied for the certifications at that time. The ministry of climate change is expected to oversee such imports since the introduction of GMOs and seeds into agriculture falls under environmental protection and is a crucial component of the nation’s biosafety.