The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) stressed to implement modern technologies for the agriculture sector to prevent post-harvest losses and to augment agri-production.

“Pakistan is a fertile land but miserable agriculture due to miscellaneous reasons. We cannot afford to stay at same status, it is necessary to add cropped areas and per hectare yield because we are short of per capita food availability”, said Senior Vice President Amjad Ali Jawa, LCCI President Abdul Basit, and Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan.

A revelation a revelation China produces 2X more cotton while Egypt produces 3X times more rice and sugarcane per hectare than Pakistan. Elements that are prescribed to enhance the yield are through large scale introduction of hybrid seeds, mechanized farming, efficient systems of irrigation, for example, drip irrigation and reduction in wastage of crop developing private storage and cold storage facilities”, the LCCI office-bearers added.

Biotechnology is the science of the 21st century with marvelous talent to be Biotechnology leader but a need is a collective effort by the private sector, scientists, researchers, and government.

They lamented agriculture of Pakistan is in loss due to inadequate use of biotechnology that is the magic for prosperous agriculture for example Genetically Modified crops. It is the single largest and driving force for 66% of Pakistanis for their growth and source of living. Two major problems we are facing are a low yield per acre and loss of crop in post harvested stages. Inadequate use of biotechnology 40% of production is lost because of post-harvest mishandlings.

Green revolution can be achieved by genetic engineering that requires attention from federal and provincial governments to promote research for quality crop production. The government should play a positive role in creating awareness among growers and farmers about Genetically Modified (GM) technology to cope with challenges like sustainability and improvement, they also pointed.

“Biotechnology has demonstrated impressive potential to raise rural efficiency by tending to issue not understood by conventional research. The most promising technique of biotechnology is production genetically modified organisms for the production of insect and herbicide tolerant crops, the LCCI office-bearers added.

They explained that genetically modified crops have already contributed to the sustainable development in different ways including the Contributing to food security by introducing more affordable food, conservation of biodiversity, lessening in poverty and hunger, extenuating climate change and reducing greenhouses gases, contributing to the cost-effective production of biofuels and all by adding to manageable monetary advantages.

The genetically modified crops play a decisive role to play in diminishing the adverse environmental effect and enlightening the sustainability towards food production. Insect-resistant rice can benefit approximately 1 billion people.

The LCCI office-bearers advised the government to utilize scientists for promotion and up gradation of technology in the country. “Pakistan is a slumbering giant of technology when it gets up, it would be one more China. He lamented that in Pakistan there are 400 research institutions with not up to the mark performance”, the LCCI office-bearers concluded.