Status of GMOs in Pakistan; Need, Acceptability, Development and Regulation Status: A Comprehensive Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31580/2kdxac14Keywords:
GMOs; Policies; Stakeholders; Biotechnology; PakistanAbstract
This review is based on the status of need, acceptability, development, and regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Pakistan. Pakistan's population is increasing rapidly, yet many farmers in the 21st century are not familiar with modern agricultural techniques. As a result, food prices have risen and become less affordable for over 30 million people living in poverty in Pakistan. GMOs are the need of the time because of the adverse environmental conditions and increased demand of the food and food related items. Salinity, drought, irrigation, and water logging, weed epidemic, insect attacks are major environmental factors which support the notion of cultivation of GMOs in a developing country like Pakistan. However, due to lack of effective policies, most of the GMOs are not cultivated in Pakistan as consumers are not ready to buy because of the lack of awareness and government policies related to GMOs. There is no doubt that GM crops has benefits but still some drawbacks like increased use of glyphosate-based herbicides manifolds, lack of awareness, allergic effects, risks of crossbreeding between agricultural plants and weeds, religious factors and others which keep farmers and other stakeholders away from expanding cultivation of the GM crops in Pakistan. According to published data, only six GMO events have been accepted till today in Pakistan which suggest a steady progress as far as acceptance of GMOs are concerned. The higher crop yields of genetically modified crops can help meet the food and non-food needs of a rapidly growing population, particularly in countries like Pakistan where population growth has been significant in recent decades. This review summarized all the information available on the topic and this will help in the understanding of issues related to the cultivation of GMOs in Pakistan and other associated factors.References
Husain I. Pakistan’s economy and regional challenges. International Studies. 2018;55(3):253-70.
Ahmed RN, Ahmad K. Impact of population on economic growth: A case study of Pakistan. Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE). 2016;5(3):162-76.
Hussain A, Routray JK. Status and factors of food security in Pakistan. International Journal of Development Issues. 2012;11(2):164-85.
Azmat Z. Use of biotechnology can resolve Pakistan’s food insecurity. The News International. 2016.
Eckerstorfer MF, Engelhard M, Heissenberger A, Simon S, Teichmann H. Plants developed by new genetic modification techniques—comparison of existing regulatory frameworks in the EU and non-EU countries. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 2019;7:26.
Wolt JD, Wang K, Yang B. The regulatory status of genome‐edited crops. Plant biotechnology journal. 2016;14(2):510-8.
Brookes G, Barfoot P. Environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) crop use 1996–2018: impacts on pesticide use and carbon emissions. GM Crops & Food. 2020;11(4):215-41.
Brookes G. Genetically modified (GM) crop use 1996–2020: Environmental impacts associated with pesticide use change. GM Crops & Food. 2022;13(1):262-89.
Bawa A, Anilakumar K. Genetically modified foods: safety, risks and public concerns—a review. Journal of food science and technology. 2013;50(6):1035-46.
Nordlee JA, Taylor SL, Townsend JA, Thomas LA, Bush RK. Identification of a Brazil-nut allergen in transgenic soybeans. New England Journal of Medicine. 1996;334(11):688-92.
O’Neil C, Reese G, Lehrer S. Allergenic potential of recombinant food proteins. Allergy Clin Immunol Int. 1998;10:5-9.
Bernstein IL, Bernstein JA, Miller M, Tierzieva S, Bernstein DI, Lummus Z, et al. Immune responses in farm workers after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis pesticides. Environmental Health Perspectives. 1999;107(7):575-82.
Snow AA, Palma PM. Commercialization of transgenic plants: potential ecological risks. BioScience. 1997;47(2):86-96.
Zafar Y. Development of agriculture biotechnology in Pakistan. Journal of AOAC International. 2007;90(5):1500-7.
McHughen A. A critical assessment of regulatory triggers for products of biotechnology: Product vs. process. GM crops & food. 2016;7(3-4):125-58.
Spielman DJ, Nazli H, Ma X, Zambrano P, Zaidi F. Technological opportunity, regulatory uncertainty, and Bt cotton in Pakistan. 2015.
Salma S, Rehman S, Shah M. Rainfall trends in different climate zones of Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Meteorology. 2012;9(17).
Climates to Travel: World Climate Guide [Internet]. Pegasusweb. 2023 [cited 27-11-2023]. Available from: https://www.climatestotravel.com/.
Haq Su, Boz I, Shahbaz P. Adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices and differentiated nutritional outcome among rural households: A case of Punjab province, Pakistan. Food Security. 2021;13:913-31.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) [Internet]. FAO, Pakistan. 2018 [cited 27-11-2023]. Available from: https://www.fao.org/pakistan/news/en/?page=2&ipp=5&tx_dynalist_pi1%5Bpar%5D=YToxOntzOjE6IkwiO3M6MToiMCI7fQ%3D%3D.
Qureshi R, Ashraf M. Water security issues of agriculture in Pakistan. PAS Islamabad Pak. 2019;1:41.
Farid M, Fayyaz A, Ahmed E, Arooj M, Ali S, Sarfraz W, et al. Increase in food scarcity, agricultural challenges, and their management: Pakistan perspectives. Managing Plant Production Under Changing Environment: Springer; 2022. p. 437-58.
Anonymous. Pakistan suffers annual crop losses of up to Rs55 billion. The Express, Tribune. 2017.
Iqbal M, Rabbani A, Haq F, Bhimani S. The floods of 2022: Economic and health crisis hits Pakistan. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. 2022;84:104800.
Sardar H, Hussain E, Arshad MA. Global warming and its impacts in Pakistan. The Nation, Pakistan. 2017.
Farooq M, Wahid A, Kobayashi N, Fujita D, Basra S. Plant drought stress: effects, mechanisms and management. Sustainable agriculture. 2009:153-88.
Soomro FA, Mujtaba SM, Soomro AA, Soomro AA, Jian Z. A route-map to the analysis of drought stress tolerance in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes. Eur Acad Res. 2014;2:12328-38.
Afzal M, Barbhuiya S. Effects of extreme weather events in Pakistan and their impacts on sustainable development. University of the West of Scotland, UK. 2011.
Zaman S, Ahmad S. Salinity and waterlogging in the indus basin of Pakistan: economic loss to agricultural economy. Managing Natural Resources for Sustaining Future Agriculture. 2009;1:4-8.
Irrigation, Waterlogging and Salinity in Pakistan [Internet]. Content Generate. 2020. Available from: https://contentgenerate.com/irrigation-waterlogging-and-salinity-in-pakistan/.
Raza M. Thirsty days ahead: Pakistan’s looming water crisis. The Diplomat. 2018.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). 2022. Available from: https://www.pmd.gov.pk/en/.
Qamer FM, Abbas S, Ahmad B, Hussain A, Salman A, Muhammad S, et al. A framework for multi-sensor satellite data to evaluate crop production losses: the case study of 2022 Pakistan floods. Scientific Reports. 2023;13(1):4240.
Herbicide study will look at yield losses [Internet]. The Weekly Times. 2016. Available from: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/.
The World Bank, Economic Indicators, Pakistan [Internet]. The World Bank Data. 2023 [cited 27-11-2023]. Available from: https://data.worldbank.org/country/pakistan?view=chart.
Islam S. Weeds cause losses amounting to Rs65b annually. The Express, Tribune. 2017.
Khan HI. Regulation of GMOs. The News, International. 2016.
Hussain D, Asrar M, Khalid B, Hafeez F, Saleem M, Akhter M, et al. Insect pests of economic importance attacking wheat crop (Triticum aestivum L.) in Punjab, Pakistan. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science. 2022;42(1):9-20.
Oerke E-C. Crop losses to pests. The Journal of Agricultural Science. 2006;144(1):31-43.
Rehman A, Jingdong L, Shahzad B, Chandio AA, Hussain I, Nabi G, et al. Economic perspectives of major field crops of Pakistan: An empirical study. Pacific science review b: humanities and social sciences. 2015;1(3):145-58.
Bakhsh A, Khabbazi SD, Baloch FS, Demirel U, ÇALIŞKAN ME, Hatipoğlu R, et al. Insect-resistant transgenic crops: retrospect and challenges. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry. 2015;39(4):531-48.
Raja MU, Mukhtar T, Shaheen FA, Bodlah I, Jamal A, Fatima B, et al. Climate change and its impact on plant health: a Pakistan’s prospective. Plant Protection. 2018;2(2):51-6.
Toseef M, Khan MJ. An intelligent mobile application for diagnosis of crop diseases in Pakistan using fuzzy inference system. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2018;153:1-11.
Iftikhar T, Majeed H, Waheed M, Zahra SS, Niaz M, AL-Huqail AA. Vanilla. Essentials of Medicinal and Aromatic Crops: Springer; 2023. p. 341-71.
Anwer I, Awan JA. Nutritional status comparison of rural with urban school children in Faisalabad District, Pakistan. Rural and Remote Health. 2003;3(2):1-7.
PDHS Indicators [Internet]. National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS). 2023. Available from: https://dashboard.nipsportal.com/#.
Gabol WA, Ahmed A, Bux H, Ahmed K, Mahar A, Laghari S. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Pakistan. African Journal of Biotechnology. 2012;11(12):2807-13.
Ali A, Rahut DB, Imtiaz M. Acceptability of GM foods among Pakistani consumers. GM crops & food. 2016;7(2):117-24.
Amin R, Khan S, Zeb TF, Ali S, Baqai N, Baqai M, et al. Knowledge and attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) food among health sciences university students in Karachi, Pakistan. Nutrition & Food Science. 2021;51(7):1150-62.
Babar U, Nawaz MA, Arshad U, Azhar MT, Atif RM, Golokhvast KS, et al. Transgenic crops for the agricultural improvement in Pakistan: a perspective of environmental stresses and the current status of genetically modified crops. GM crops & food. 2020;11(1):1-29.
Spök A, Sprink T, Allan AC, Yamaguchi T, Dayé C. Towards social acceptability of genome-edited plants in industrialised countries? Emerging evidence from Europe, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Frontiers in Genome Editing. 2022;4:899331.
Kawall K, Cotter J, Then C. Broadening the GMO risk assessment in the EU for genome editing technologies in agriculture. Environmental Sciences Europe. 2020;32(1):106.
Verma S, Saxena S. Genetically Modified Crops changing the Food Insecurity Landscape of the Undernourished Regions of the World. Policy Issues in Genetically Modified Crops: Elsevier; 2021. p. 143-60.
Yali W. Application of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crop technology and its implications in modern agriculture. Int J Appl Agric Sci. 2022;8:14-20.
Iftikhar T, Majeed H, Waheed M, Zahra SS, Niaz M, Bilal B, et al. Tuberose. Essentials of Medicinal and Aromatic Crops: Springer; 2023. p. 373-97.
Hunaefi D, Andrianto MS, Sukmawati Y, Muzzayyanah PN, editors. Balinese Perception on Acceptance of Biotechnology and GM Crops. Conference Towards ASEAN Chairmanship 2023 (TAC 23 2021); 2021: Atlantis Press.
Su S, Ezhuthachan ID, Ponda P. Genetically modified foods and food allergy. Journal of Food Allergy (USA). 2020;2(1):111-4.
Debucquet G, Baron R, Cardinal M. Lay and scientific categorizations of new breeding techniques: Implications for food policy and genetically modified organism legislation. Public Understanding of Science. 2020;29(5):524-43.
Idris SH, Abdul Majeed AB, Chang LW. Beyond halal: Maqasid al-Shari’ah to assess bioethical issues arising from genetically modified crops. Science and Engineering Ethics. 2020;26:1463-76.
Lucht JM. Public acceptance of plant biotechnology and GM crops. Viruses. 2015;7(8):4254-81.
Belsky J, Joshi NK. Assessing role of major drivers in recent decline of monarch butterfly population in North America. Frontiers in Environmental Science. 2018;6:86.
Pellegrino E, Bedini S, Nuti M, Ercoli L. Impact of genetically engineered maize on agronomic, environmental and toxicological traits: a meta-analysis of 21 years of field data. Scientific reports. 2018;8(1):3113.
Sendhil R, Nyika J, Yadav S, Mackolil J, Workie E, Ragupathy R, et al. Genetically modified foods: Bibliometric analysis on consumer perception and preference. GM Crops & Food. 2022;13(1):65.
Kumar K, Gambhir G, Dass A, Tripathi AK, Singh A, Jha AK, et al. Genetically modified crops: current status and future prospects. Planta. 2020;251:1-27.
Hollander AK. Environmental impacts of genetically engineered microbial and viral biocontrol agents. Biotechnology for biological control of pests and vectors: CRC Press; 2018. p. 251-66.
Jamil S, Shahzad R, Rahman SU, Iqbal MZ, Yaseen M, Ahmad S, et al. The level of Cry1Ac endotoxin and its efficacy against H. armigera in Bt cotton at large scale in Pakistan. GM Crops & Food. 2021;12(1):1-17.
Qaim M, De Janvry A. Genetically modified crops, corporate pricing strategies, and farmers' adoption: the case of Bt cotton in Argentina. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 2003;85(4):814-28.
Walsh MJ, Powles SB, Rengel Z. Harvest weed seed control: impact on weed management in Australian grain production systems and potential role in global cropping systems. Crop and Pasture Science. 2022;73(4):313-24.
Jamil S, Arshad S, Kanwal S, Razzaq H, Shahzad R. Impact of Transgenic Crops on Global Food Security: A Review. Journal of Agricultural Research. 2019;57(4).
Zaidi SS-e-A, Mahas A, Vanderschuren H, Mahfouz MM. Engineering crops of the future: CRISPR approaches to develop climate-resilient and disease-resistant plants. Genome biology. 2020;21(1):1-19.
Tyagi S, Kumar R, Kumar V, Won SY, Shukla P. Engineering disease resistant plants through CRISPR-Cas9 technology. GM Crops & Food. 2021;12(1):125-44.
Guleria P, Kumar V. GMO to eradicate malnutrition: Current status. Current Nutrition & Food Science. 2021;17(1):4-10.
Rajesh R, Paczkowski M, O'Quinn A, Rich L, Ryang S. Navigating the Efficacy and Prevalence of International Food Aid Programs in Addressing World Hunger and Associated Malnutrition Within Developing Countries. 2022.
Rab FA. Is hunger more dangerous than having malnutrition or consuming unsafe diet. EC Nutrition. 2019;14(12):1-5.
Gbadegesin LA, Ayeni EA, Tettey CK, Uyanga VA, Aluko OO, Ahiakpa JK, et al. GMOs in Africa: status, adoption and public acceptance. Food Control. 2022;141:109193.
Miraglia M, Berdal K, Brera C, Corbisier P, Holst-Jensen A, Kok E, et al. Detection and traceability of genetically modified organisms in the food production chain. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2004;42(7):1157-80.
Rozas P, Kessi-Pérez EI, Martínez C. Genetically modified organisms: adapting regulatory frameworks for evolving genome editing technologies. Biological Research. 2022;55.
Kour J, Sharma V, Khanday I. Genetically Modified Crops and Food Security: Commercial, Ethical and Health Considerations: Taylor & Francis; 2022.
Rasheed M, Awais M, Khalid M, Sohail A. The Role of Genetically-Modified (GM) Crops in Food Security. Life Science Journal. 2022;19(2).
Tyczewska A, Twardowski T, Woźniak-Gientka E. Agricultural biotechnology for sustainable food security. Trends in Biotechnology. 2023.
Ali A, Rahut DB. Farmers willingness to grow GM food and cash crops: empirical evidence from Pakistan. GM crops & food. 2018;9(4):199-210.
Tabassum S, Anwar Z, Khattak JZ, Mahmood S, Kha FAR, Javed H, et al. Future of Biotechnology in Pakistan. Journal of Asian Scientific Research. 2012;2(9):518.
Fernandez-Cornejo J. The seed industry in US agriculture: An exploration of data and information on crop seed markets, regulation, industry structure, and research and development: US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; 2004.
James C. Global status of commercialized biotech/GM crops, 2011: isaaa Ithaca, NY; 2011.
Chaudhary G, Singh SK. Global status of genetically modified crops and its commercialization. Biotechnology Products in Everyday Life. 2019:147-60.
Amir P. GM crops: no gain for small farmers. Appropriate Technology. 2014;41(3):44.
Thamali K, Jayawardana N. The current status of national biosafety regulatory systems in South Asia. Environment Sustenance and Food Safety: Need for More Vibrant Policy Initiatives for Sri Lanka. 2022;198:198.
Abdalla A, Tran Q, Berry P, Foster M. Agricultural biotechnology: potential for use in developing countries. Australian Commodities: Forecasts and Issues. 2003;10(1):111-8.
Tokel D, Genc BN, Ozyigit II. Economic impacts of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton. Journal of Natural Fibers. 2022;19(12):4622-39.
Zhang D, Dong S, Zhang Z, Yu C, Xu J, Wang C, et al. Evaluation of the impact of transgenic maize BT799 on growth, development and reproductive function of Sprague-Dawley rats in three generations. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2022;160:112776.
García M, García-Benítez C, Ortego F, Farinós GP. Monitoring insect resistance to Bt maize in the European Union: Update, challenges, and future prospects. Journal of Economic Entomology. 2023;116(2):275-88.
Bennett AB, Chi-Ham C, Barrows G, Sexton S, Zilberman D. Agricultural biotechnology: economics, environment, ethics, and the future. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 2013;38:249-79.
Marral MWR, Ahmad F, Ul-Allah S, Farooq S, Hussain M. Influence of Transgenic (Bt) Cotton on the Productivity of Various Cotton-Based Cropping Systems in Pakistan. Agriculture. 2023;13(2):276.
Clarke JL, Daniell H. Plastid biotechnology for crop production: present status and future perspectives. Plant molecular biology. 2011;76:211-20.
Mottaleb KA, Kruseman G, Frija A, Sonder K, Lopez-Ridaura S. Projecting wheat demand in China and India for 2030 and 2050: Implications for food security. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2023;9:1077443.
Huang J, Pray C, Rozelle S. Enhancing the crops to feed the poor. Nature. 2002;418(6898):678-84.
Klümper W, Qaim M. A meta-analysis of the impacts of genetically modified crops. PloS one. 2014;9(11):e111629.
Hussain B, Mahmood S. Development of transgenic cotton for combating biotic and abiotic stresses. Cotton Production and Uses: Agronomy, Crop Protection, and Postharvest Technologies. 2020:527-45.
Rehman S, Anderson L. Agricultural Biotechnology Annual. Islamabad, Pakistan; 2021.
Ilyas F. 2017. Pakistan ranked seventh among states growing biotech crops. Dawn. 2017.
Convention on Biological Diversity [Internet]. Biosafety Clearing-House. 2023 [cited 27-11-2023]. Available from: https://bch.cbd.int/en/countries/pk.
Shafiq-Ur-Rehman M, Carroll JM. Biotechnology - GE Plants and Animals, Pakistan. Pakistan; 2010.
Service Biosafety and Biotechnology [Internet]. Belgian Biosafety server. 2023. Available from: https://www.biosafety.be/.
Sulkin SE, Pike RM. Survey of laboratory-acquired infections. American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health. 1951;41(7):769-81.
Barbeito MS, Kruse RH. A history of the American Biological Safety Association Part I: the first ten biological safety conferences 1955–1965. Journal of the American Biological Safety Association. 1997;2(3):7-19.
Wright S. Recombinant DNA technology and its social transformation, 1972-1982. Osiris. 1986;2:303-60.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety [Internet]. Convention on Biological Diversity. 2003. Available from: https://bch.cbd.int/protocol/background/.
Pakistan Biosafety Rules [Internet]. FAOLEX Database. 2005. Available from: https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC053471/#:~:text=Pakistan-,Pakistan%20Biosafety%20Rules%2C%202005.,purchase%20of%20living%20modified%20organisms.
Shahid J. Regulatory system urged for GM crops. Dawn News. 2014.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Pak-Euro Journal of Medical and Life Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
