By Munawar Hasan

LAHORE: The Basmati Growers Association (BGA) has expressed regret and dismay over being excluded from government consultations on the commercialisation of GMO maize. The move, it says, raises “serious questions about how policy is being made”.

Farooq Bajwa, president of the BGA, asked on Monday why growers are being overlooked by high officials on an issue that affects them directly. If the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has been given a place on the committee formed by the Prime Minister, then why not the rice growers who will be the first to face the damage, he said. Bajwa stressed that GMO maize pollen can drift through the air and contaminate non-GMO crops, and produce of basmati will be the first in line.

The stakes are very high, he warned. Pakistan earns nearly one billion dollars from basmati exports every year. Bajwa stressed that this entire trade is now at serious risk because of possible GMO contamination if maize cultivation is allowed. High quality aromatic Pakistani basmati fetches a premium price in the world market because it is known as pure and non-GMO. If any trace of genetically modified material is found, importing countries will subject it to strict checks and possible rejection.

This is not a theoretical fear. Pakistan has already faced such problems. In August 2024, an organic basmati rice consignment exported from Pakistan through the Netherlands was found to be contaminated with genetically modified rice. The EU authorities took samples on July 31, 2024, and flagged it as a hazard under the category of cereals and bakery products. The consignment was rejected.

In April 2018, the federal government had to instruct the department of plant protection to tighten regulation of rice exports after REAP raised concerns about GM rice being detected. Earlier in 2010 and 2012, the EU had also issued warning notes to Pakistan saying its basmati had traces of BT or GMO and threatened to reject shipments if the issue was not stopped.

The global situation makes it even riskier. About a week ago, on July 11, the BGA president said, the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed reported that the Netherlands had found GMOs in rice flour shipped from China. At the same time, Beijing has been rejecting Indian non-basmati rice cargoes, claiming they contain GMOs.

When a shipment is flagged it is recorded as a border rejection or interception, and once a country gets that label it is very hard to remove.Bajwa lamented that despite this history, the government has left out the people who will suffer first. By giving exporters a seat an ignoring growers, the committee is making policy without talking to those whose fields, produce, income and reputation are being threatened.

“This is a careless approach. You cannot protect close to $1 billion exports by consulting traders and ignoring farmers,” the BGA leader said. If GMO maize is commercialised without carefully considering the sensitive issue with real stakeholders, Pakistan risks losing market access that took decades to build. The government must immediately include the BGA in the process, otherwise it will be farmers who pay the price for a decision made behind closed doors, he concluded.

Published Date: July 28, 2026