Kiev, April 26 (TNS): Pakistan has tightened grip on international rice trade with a view to getting rid of any impression of involving in the trade of tainted genetically modified (GM) rice, Ukraine based agriculture market analysis website reported.
Federal government, early this month, issued instructions to Department of Plant Protection, Ministry of Food Security & Research (MFS&R) for strict regulation of inbound and exporting rice consignments.
This move was initiated following serious concerns raised by Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) about incidence of detecting GM rice from some shipments, resulting in rejection of exporting consignments from European Union.
Echoing similar concerns, Punjab government on April 10, 2018 wrote a letter to express strong reservations about tainted trade of GM rice.
We do not produce GM rice nor do we import it. Hence, there is no possibility of any involvement of local companies in the processing of GM rice,” a government official said. “If at all it is detected from some consignments, it could have sourced from outside country, which needs to be checked thoroughly.”
As a result of the tight regulation, Pakistan blocked entry of a Chinese rice seed shipment last week. Chinese Embassy in Islamabad raised the issue with the Minister Food Security & Research.
The Chinese diplomat wrote in the letter dated April 19, 2018 that a shipment of more than 2,000 tons of hybrid rice seed is being stuck in the Karachi port and prohibited from entering into Pakistan due to the negative results of GMO testing.
It further stated that Chinese government does not allow any Chinese company to produce or export GMO hybrid rice seeds home and abroad as well. “The GMO testing conducted by Chinese quarantine authorities shows these hybrid rice seeds are non-GMO.
The Chinese exporters of these seeds are regular business partners of Pakistani importers and all of the exporters pledged these seeds are non-GMO,” the letter said.
Considering the discrepancies of the testing results from both sides, the Chinese diplomat said, it is requested to perform again the testing procedure with the participation of experts from both sides to ensure justice and transparency.
Courtesy: UkrAgroConsult
