Karachi: “Around 20 per cent Pakistanis have been identified with acute malnutrition, while ten years back this figure was 10 per cent”, Director Pakistan Biotechnology Information Centre (PABIC) Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary said.
He said, “The country may face drastic famine in future as irrigation lands are being reduced due to shortage of water. The proper use of biotechnology can bring food security in the country.”
Prof. Iqbal added, “The national political and religious parties must include in their political manifesto the issue of eradication of food insecurity from the country, as food crises has become the country’s fundamental issue due to unchecked increase in the population.
These views were expressed by Director Pakistan Biotechnology Information Centre (PABIC) Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, while taking to a group of biotechnologists at International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, Karachi University (KU) here on Wednesday.
Assistant Professor at ICCBS Dr. Sammer Yousuf was also present on this occasion. Giving the details about ISAAA brief 44, Dr. Iqbal Choudhary, who is also serving as director of ICCBS, said that ISAAA brief 44 has recently been launched in Lahore.
He said that most of the Muslim nations are the net importer of food commodities. He said that despite the fact that Pakistan is among three Muslim countries, out of 57 nations, who have achieved commercialization of biotech crops, food inflation is still among the highest in Pakistan.
He said that we are living in the sixth most populous country of the world with 185 million populations and expected to be fourth with 300 million populations by 2030. The world’s current population is over seven billion.
The major challenges faced by the nation are wide-spread food insecurity for the growing population. Biotechnology can bring food security in the country as the technology has great potential to enhance food production in the country by 5 to 6 per cent. Iran and Turkey are leading the Muslim World in the said emerging technology.
Dr Iqbal said that this is the need of the hour to bring about the revolution in the production of agriculture. He said, “Biotechnology is not the only solution to the problem but it is one of the most suitable solutions.
He said that the agriculture lands are being drastically reduced in the country, while the biotechnology is one of the most important scientific tools that can help the country in increasing the agricultural production.
He presented a brief synopsis of the PABIC activities for the promotion of biotechnology in Pakistan. These activities include the distribution of information about the biotechnology, specifically about crop biotechnology, meetings with progressive farmers and stake-holders, media workshops and seminars in order to enhance the media capacity to understand the biotechnology and its applications
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