GM maize: Pakistan’s missed opportunity that can still transform agri-economy

Wasif Mahmood

For years, Pakistan’s farmers have been fighting an exhausting battle against insects, weeds, rising input costs, and unpredictable climate shocks. Yet, despite these challenges, the country continues to hesitate on a technology that has already transformed agriculture worldwide: Genetically Modified (GM) maize.

As Pakistan revisits its biotechnology policy, the debate has resurfaced with renewed intensity. Some anti-GM groups are once again spreading fear-driven narratives, while farmers and scientists insist that GM maize is not just a scientific advancement but a lifeline for a struggling agricultural economy.

The conversation often begins with pest pressure, and rightly so. Although a few voices claim that Pakistan’s maize crop does not face major pest threats, farmers on the ground tell a very different story. Every season, the Fall Army Worm ravages fields, corn earworm and stalk borers damage cobs, and late-season attacks increase aflatoxin contamination. Post-tasseling sprays are difficult and costly, especially for small farmers who often cannot find labor or machinery in time. GM maize, with its built-in insect protection, offers round-the-clock defense and significantly reduces the need for frequent pesticide applications. This not only cuts costs but also keeps the grain safer and healthier, benefiting both farmers and the livestock industry.

While it is true that Pakistan’s overall maize production has increased in recent years, the rise has come primarily from the expansion of cultivated area, not from breakthroughs in seed technology. The maize area has increased from one million to 1.5 million hectares. Without this expansion, Pakistan would have remained stuck at around 6.5 million tons, forcing the country to import maize, ironically, GM maize, from global markets like Brazil and Argentina. By adopting GM maize, Pakistan could increase yields by at least ten percent, adding over a million tons of additional production without touching a single new hectare. That translates into hundreds of millions of dollars in economic value and reduced pressure on the country’s import bill.

"Globally, the impact of GM maize has been undeniable. In a conversation with GNN, Muhammad Asim, the head of Croplife Pakistan’s Bio-tech and Seed Committee, mentioned that in countries like the United States, Brazil, South Africa, and the Philippines, maize productivity sharply increased after the adoption of GM technology. These nations transitioned from defensive farming strategies to confident crop planning. Pakistan’s own National Uniform Yield Trials have already shown yield advantages ranging from 10% to as high as 46% for GM hybrids compared to non-GM varieties. These trials were conducted on Pakistani soil, using local climate conditions and farming practices. The results are as local and authentic as they can get."

A major argument against GM maize is that the seed is expensive. Yet this perspective misses the full picture. Farmers may pay more upfront, but they save significantly on sprays, labor, diesel, and unexpected losses. For small farmers, those with one or two pieces of land, this reliability is often the difference between profit and debt. Globally, GM pricing models follow a simple principle: farmers keep 60–70% of the additional value generated, while seed companies earn the remaining share. In practice, this has historically helped farmers increase their net income rather than reduce it.

Perhaps the most persistent misconception is that GM maize will “cross-pollinate” with other crops like rice or damage export markets. This is not just incorrect; it is biologically impossible. Rice and maize cannot cross-pollinate under any circumstance. No GM maize anywhere in the world has ever affected rice or wheat exports. Pakistan already exports rice to countries that routinely import GM soybean, GM canola, and GM feed. Global importers care about food quality, phytosanitary requirements, and price, not the GM status of unrelated crops. Wet millers who need non-GM maize already contract-grow waxy maize successfully; the same model can support any specific industry requirement.

Another fear frequently raised is that GM technology will create monopolies. The reality is the exact opposite. Pakistan already has multiple approved GM events from different multinational companies. A third company was in the final trial stages before the 2019 suspension, and the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) at Punjab University has developed indigenous GM maize that can be licensed to local seed companies. Rather than creating monopolies, the introduction of GM technology increases competition, invites new players, and encourages innovation in a sector that desperately needs it.

President of the Agriculture Journalists Association of Pakistan (AJA), Almas Ahmad Khan, is of the view that “GM technology represents the future of agriculture, with the ability to increase yields, reduce pesticide use, and combat climate change by producing more resilient crops.” GM crops are also seen as a solution to the growing global population and the need for more sustainable agricultural practices. However, he also acknowledged the concerns of opponents of GM crops, including environmental and public health organizations, who argue that their long-term effects remain largely unknown. They assert that genetically modified organisms could have unintended consequences on ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. This ongoing debate highlights the need for a balanced approach, weighing both the scientific benefits and the societal concerns associated with GM technology.

What Pakistan can no longer afford is a nationwide resistance to progress. The country has already grown GM cotton for more than fourteen years and has imported GM soybean and GM canola for over two decades without a single verified environmental or health issue. Meanwhile, the world has planted GM crops for more than thirty years across a cumulative two billion hectares. If there were genuine health or environmental risks, they would have surfaced by now with overwhelming evidence.

The bigger picture is simple: GM maize can strengthen Pakistan’s food security, support the poultry and dairy sectors, reduce the national import bill, improve farmer incomes, create jobs in the seed and services industries, and stabilize prices of everyday essentials. It is not merely a crop technology; it is an economic strategy, one that every major maize-producing nation embraced years ago, while Pakistan has lingered in confusion.

The real question today is not whether GM maize is good or bad. The question is whether Pakistan wants to remain technologically competitive, agriculturally resilient, and economically strong. In a world where climate change, rising costs, and unpredictable food markets threaten every developing economy, Pakistan must choose progress over fear, evidence over emotion, and innovation over stagnation.

GM maize is not a threat to Pakistan; it is an opportunity, one that we have delayed long enough.

-- The writer is a senior journalist and staff member