Due to wind and rain patterns of the monsoon, Pakistan is vulnerable to contamination with untested and potentially hazardous GM foods planted in India. The Punjab plain is the largest and most fertile area in India and Pakistan, with little or no safety against cross contamination.
Initially India had placed a moratorium on GM aubergine in 2010 fearing the effect on food safety and biodiversity. In European countries there is major opposition to GM foods. Research done on mice etc have shown some alarming affects of GM food feed to these animals.
GM foods trials yield bigger harvests, however, long term safety for human consumption of GM foods is still under question.
In August 2014 India resumed the field trials for selected crops with little publicity. Grassroots Indian groups have opposed GM crops because of the reliance on seeds patented by multinationals.
Furthermore "There is no scientific evidence that GM enhances productivity," said Pradeep, an Indian spokesman, "And in any case, why should we hand over our agriculture to some foreign companies?"
A handful of mainly American agrichemical and seeds companies dominate and hold the patents for the global market for GM crops, including Monsanto, DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Syngenta.
"The current government's rush with open field trials without addressing the fundamental loopholes in the regulatory mechanism is a matter for serious concern," said Manvendra Singh Inaniya, a campaigner for Greenpeace India.
"This leaves us vulnerable to contamination with untested and potentially hazardous GM food. We urge the Union Government to roll back approvals given to open air field trials of GM crops."
So far there appears to be no comment from Pakistani Agriculture Ministry and Farmers.
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