Inquiry starts as GMO ‘found’ in Pak rice shipped to EU

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The Ministry of National Food Security has started an investigation after “detection” of genetic modification organism (GMO) in the rice shipped to Europe.

The head of the ministry’s department said they had started the inquiry soon after the matter came to their knowledge by contacting all the stakeholders. Pakistan is among the non-GMO countries, and most of its exports go to the European Union, he said.

“Export certificate of any crop is issued after thorough check, as we have zero-tolerance policy in this regard,” he asserted. Strict action would be taken if anyone found involved in this regard, he said. He said “detection” may affect our exports to Europe, adding they will take up the issue with Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP).

Meanwhile, the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan has rejected a notification issued by European Commission that REAP rice contains genetically modified organism (GMO). REAP Chairman Chela Ram Kewlani denied presence of GMO varieties in Pakistani rice.

Talking to The News, Kewlani clarified one-kilogramme sample of GMO rice was found in a store in The Netherlands, not in Germany, as inaccurately reported. “There is no mention of Pakistan on the sample,” he said.

“GMO testing of shipments is conducted at the port, not at the store level. This could be a conspiracy by another country”, he said. Kewlani emphasised despite the rice not being of Pakistani origin, REAP would address the issue on international level to protect the country’s reputation.

Shamsul Islam Khan, another rice exporter, suggested the incident might be a deliberate act engineered by Indian interests. He pointed out the shipment was re-routed from The Netherlands to Germany, potentially as part of a campaign against Pakistan.

He criticised the departments concerned for their failure to develop a foolproof system to prevent such incidents. He said the inept bureaucracy had allowed unchecked imports of seeds without stringent DNA testing.

“India wants to paint China as the villain for Pakistan because a majority of hybrid coarse seeds we are importing come from China. This aligns with India’s strategic planning,” Khan said.

He recommended Pakistan improve its monitoring and control of imported seeds, as well as seeds grown within the country, particularly those from joint ventures. He called for strict action against seed importers and rice exporters whose shipments breach regulations, alongside dismissal of officials responsible for preventing illegal GMO product imports or exports.

“If we take prompt and visible punitive action, we can mitigate the damage both externally and internally,” he remarked.

An expert warned detection of GMO in a Pakistani rice consignment could have severe and far-reaching implications for rice exports to the European Union (EU). He, however, noted the report discussing the issue was self-contradictory, as it conflated the concepts of Geographical Indication (GI) status with GMO, which are entirely different subjects.

Pakistani exporters believe the situation could be a conspiracy, as the EU and India are negotiating a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that could grant concessions on certain products. Both Pakistan and India claim ownership of basmati rice as their respective national variety.

The expert also dismissed a foreign media report referring to Dr Fida Abbasi as a breeder in 2012. “The reference is vague and misleading. “Pakistan has never conducted any research or attempted genetic engineering, genetic modification, gene editing or genetic inoculation in basmati varieties,” he asserted.