Despite institutional strengths and supportive policies, the food ministry said Pakistan had yet to fully capitalise on the opportunities offered by agricultural biotechnology, the primary reason for which was the absence of a clear and unified strategic direction. photo:file
ISLAMABAD:
Following a historic slump in cotton harvest, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research has drawn up a draft three-year National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy (NABP) – 2025 aimed at enhancing the production of crops while aligning local farming practices with international standards.
A few years ago, Pakistan registered an annual cotton production of just five million bales, the lowest in the past 40 years and compared to the historical average output of around 12 to 15 million bales. Textile mills running in the country require around 16 million bales every year to produce various types of products.
Farmers endured the lowest cotton harvest during the tenure of the earlier Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. Before that, the output dropped to nine million bales.
PML-N administrations are considered pro-industrialists while they seem to pay less attention to the farming community. The Special Investment Facilitation Council, an investment promotion body, in 2023 directed the food ministry to draft a biotechnology policy, which was finalised and approved in 2026.
During discussions in a cabinet meeting, its members were apprised that many countries had already prepared biotechnology policies and, therefore, it was imperative that Pakistan should also formulate a similar policy for the promotion of genetically modified crops, which would enable the country to take advantage of the opportunities arising from latest advancements in the field, while protecting against risks associated with genetic engineering.
The cabinet, after comprehensive deliberations on the matter and keeping in view the submissions made, approved the proposed National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy (NABP) – 2025.
The Ministry of National Food Security informed the forum that agricultural biotechnology was significantly transforming global farming practices, with genetically modified (GM) crops now covering nearly 3% of the world’s arable land. It said that Pakistan possessed strong potential in the field, supported by a sizeable pool of scientific expertise, an established regulatory framework and well-equipped biotechnology research centres.
Similarly, on the policy front, several key documents highlight the importance of biotechnology, including the Science and Technology Policies of 2011 and 2024, the National Food Security Policy of 2018, the National Seed Policy of 2025 and the Pakistan Vision 2030. However, despite those institutional strengths and supportive policies, the food ministry shared that Pakistan had yet to fully capitalise on the opportunities offered by agricultural biotechnology, the primary reason for which was the absence of a clear, comprehensive and unified strategic direction.
The ministry further stated that in order to embark on the strategic direction, the Special Investment Facilitation Council in its sixth Executive Committee meeting held on October 23 and 24, 2023 gave directives to develop and finalise a proposal for the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Policy. In response, the ministry constituted a committee, headed by the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), on November 20, 2023 to draft the policy.
After preparing an initial draft, another committee was set up under the leadership of the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority chairperson on April 22, 2025, which comprised technical experts, to refine and improve the draft policy.
The food security ministry told the cabinet that a consultative meeting of the second committee was held on May 7, 2025, where the draft National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy (NABP) – 2025 was finalised for submission to the federal cabinet.
Subsequently, a meeting was held with provincial secretaries on June 2, 2025, chaired by the food security ministry secretary, to evaluate the draft policy, following which the secretary issued directives on the annual biotechnology component of the policy and to organise a consultative session with private-sector stakeholders regarding the policy implementation.
Consequently, two focused consultations were held – the first on agricultural biotechnology on June 25, 2025 and the other with private-sector stakeholders on June 27, 2025.
The cabinet considered a summary dated December 4, 2025, titled “National Agricultural Biotechnology Policy (NABP) – 2025” and submitted by the Ministry of National Food Security, and approved the proposal.