KARACHI – Pakistan is running out of fresh water, and approaching towardsdrastic famine as irrigation lands are being reduced due to shortage offresh water, urbanization, salinity and deforestation.
Malnutrition has caused reduction in average height of Pakistanis. Thisdemands urgent adaptation of modern agriculture technologies.
The per capita water availability in Pakistan at present is around 865cubic meters, which is likely to go down to 850 cubic meters in 2025.
Global food insecurity is the leading threat in the developing world.Strongpolitical commitment to eliminate hunger is essential.
Globally biotech crops have contributed to food security, sustainabilityand climate change by increasing crop productivity and helping alleviatepoverty through uplifting the livelihood of farmers and agriculture relatedworkforce.
Prof Dr M Iqbal Choudhary, Director International Centre for Chemical andBiological Sciences, University of Karachi (UoK), and PakistanBiotechnology Information Centre (PABIC), expressed these views whilespeaking at a press conference held at the Latif Ebrahim Jamal (LEJ)National Science Information Centre, University of Karachi (UoK) onWednesday.On the occasion, Dr Sammar was also present.
The objective of the press conference, organised by PABIC, was to raiseawareness about the tremendous potential of biotechnology commercializationfor the sustainable development of Pakistan’s economy.On the occasion, ProfIqbal Choudhary also launched ISAAA Brief 53.
Prof Iqbal Choudhary said that there were 155 million stunted (unable togrow) children globally and Pakistan accounts for one out of every 15 suchchildren. A recent report by the United Nations unearthed a shockingstatistic which highlights the extent to which Pakistan as a societyignores its children, he lamented, adding that the state claims that one inevery 22 newborn dies in Pakistan, which makes Pakistan the worst countryon the entire planet in neonatal mortality.
Talking about water scarcity, he said per capita water availability inPakistan at present was around 865 cubic meters which was likely to go downto 850 cubic meters in 2025. He mentioned that global food insecurity wasa leading problem in the developing world.
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According to the Global Report on Food Crises in 2017, around 108 millionpeople in 48 food crisis-affected countries are still at risk or in severeacute food insecurity in 2016.
About 60 per cent of the hungry people are located in 19 countries facingconflict and climate change crisis situations, he said, adding that highrisks of famine were recorded in Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen, where 20million people were severely experiencing hunger. He pointed out thatstrong political commitment to eliminate hunger was essential, but it wasnot enough.
Hunger will only be defeated if countries translate their pledges intoaction, especially at national and local levels, he said, adding that peaceis of course the key to ending these crises, but we cannot wait for peaceto take action.It is extremely important to ensure that these people havethe conditions to continue producing their own food, he observed.
Food experts for a long time believed that food production must increase by70 per cent to feed the world’s growing population, he said.
This is really a good sign that Pakistan increased its IR cotton area by3.4 per cent or 100,000 hectares from 2.9 million hectares to 3 millionhectares, he said, adding that this is expected to increase cottonproduction by 14.04 million bales.
Prof Iqbal Choudhary, giving a reference from ISAAA Brief 53, said that forthe last eight years, an estimated 725,000 smallholder Pakistani farmershad been benefiting from the economic gains in using biotech cotton. It isprovisionally estimated that the economic gains from biotech crops forPakistan for the period 2010, to 2016, was US$4.8 billion and US$483million for 2016, alone, he maintained.
Globally biotech crops contribution to the world economy cannot be ignoredat all, he observed, adding that a total of US$186.1 billion economicbenefits were gained by countries planting biotech crops from 1996, to2016. The highest gain was obtained by USA (US$ 80.3 billion), Argentina(US$23.7 billion), India (US$21.1 billion), Brazil (US$19.8 billion), China(US$19.6 billion), Canada (US$8 billion), and others (US$13.6 billion), hementioned.
