Managing Director Eurofins Thomas Unger gave a detailed briefing to the exports about upcoming changes in laws by the EU in food sector with special emphasis on rice. He said rice was one of the biggest components of EU imports from Pakistan.
He said four main challenges being faced by the rice exporters, from across the globe, i.e. presence of GMOs, aflatoxin, pesticide residues and inorganic arsenic. However, he said that Pakistani rice consignments have shown satisfactory results when tested for all these challenges. He said there was no GMO rice in Pakistan and 93 per cent of the samples tested for other factors came out satisfactory.
However, he urged that Pakistan should strengthen its agricultural research institute to work for a more secured future for Basmati. Concluding his remarks, he urged upon Pakistan to strengthen control of seed materials to ensure there is no GMOs in export consignments, dry the paddy immediately after harvesting, build awareness among farmers to use agro-chemicals rationally to keep the pesticide residue under the prescribed level etc.
Speaking on this occasion, Punjab Additional Secretary Agriculture Ghazanfar Ali assured the audience that there was no GMO present in Pakistani rice and if it had found in any consignment, it was due to use of imported seed.
He also said that there was no issue of inorganic arsenic in Pakistani rice while aflatoxin and pesticide residue is also within the prescribed limits. He assured that there was no research going on for GMO rice and all the research institutes have been asked not to carry out any work on GMOs.
He said the federal department of plant protection as well as provincial departments was keeping a strict check on this issue. He said Pakistan had only acquired first generation GMO cotton and trying to get second generation cotton GMOs.
He said the provincial agriculture department was also discouraging the use of pesticides and had taken pesticide companies on board not to sell chemicals in rice zone. He said 21 laboratories under the department had been standardized and Kala Shah Kaku Research Institute laboratory is also ISO certified. He also threw light on steps taken by the government and the department for controlling the issue of smog.
The additional secretary agriculture also invited the rice exporters to remain in touch with him for promotion of the rice exports. Senior Vice Chairman REAP Ali Hussam Asghar, former chairman Sami Ullah Naeem, Pir Nazim Hussain Shah, Shahjahan Malik and Kashif ur Rehman were also present on this occasion.