Tech-based agri-revival must for economy

Speakers at a biotechnology moot on Wednesday demanded that the government must ensure modern technology-based revival of the agriculture sector to lift the faltering national economy.

Addressing the seminar titled “Challenges, Opportunities and Trends in Biotechnology in Pakistan”, organised by the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and Pakistan Academy of Environmental Sciences (PAES), they stressed that biotechnology had the potential to address the country’s food challenges and ensure sustainable food supply for future generations.

They believed that the use of latest biotechnology had a significant impact on agriculture, crop yields and food sources, enabling farmers not only to produce more crops but to meet the challenges of climate change in the present situation that impacted yield.

Lack of awareness and understanding and access to financing, less research and development capabilities, limited regulatory framework, infrastructure limitations and socioeconomic factors were the challenges hindering the adoption and implementation of biotechnology in Pakistan’s agriculture sector, they pointed out.

Pak-EPA Director General Farzana Altaf Shah underlined the importance of emerging technologies and solutions in making farmland cultivation a more manageable and profitable business. Four Brothers Group Chairman Engineer Jawed Salim Qureshi highlighted the role of private sector in introducing biotechnology. He noted that it was high time to take ambitious and bold decisions to improve the national economy and agricultural production.

Qureshi was of the view that the agriculture sector alone had the ability to boost the economy through timely interventions. “There is an urgent need to start the use of modern technology, early warning and best scientific practices, emphasised Tara Group Chairman Dr Khalid Hameed.