“38 percent of people in South Asia suffer from food shortages” said Dr. Hosseini, delivering a speech entitled "A Glance at FAO Regional Meeting on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition in Asia-Pacific" in attendance of faculty members and students of ARII on 29^th October, 2017.

     FAO Regional Meeting on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition in Asia-Pacificwas held after a congress on biotechnology in Rome, suggesting that the meeting be held in other regions, bring agricultural biotechnology applications into common knowledge and to expand the interactive cooperation between individuals and related institutions.

     Dr. Hosseini explained some case studies of applications of agricultural biotechnologies in Asia-Pacific, which were presented in this regional meeting, including improving crop production using tissue culture and mutation induction, using marker assisted selection to breed flood tolerant rice, producing new crop varieties using mutation breeding, controlling migratory insects using biopesticides, using fermentation technology to produce soy sauce in the crop sector, breeding for increased sheep productivity using a DNA test for high fertility, facilitating artificial insemination to improve production of dairy cattle in the livestock sector, using probiotics to improve shrimp production, breeding hybrid catfish using artificial insemination, improving carp using gynogenesis, rapid detection of viral diseases in shrimp in the fisheries/ aquaculture sector, and finally, development of a biopesticide against a serious insect pest of teak and the use of tissue culture for successful propagation of teak planting in the forestry sector.

     He added that food shortage is estimated to be approximately 40 percent in Pakistan and Afghanistan, 30 to 40 percent in India, and 20 to 30 percent in Tajikistan. The phenomenon is also palpable in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and some other countries.

     Dr. Hosseini asserted that today 18 million farmers are benefiting from biotechnological products, especially in the field of GMOs, of which 46 percent are in 7 developed countries and 54 percent reside in 19 developing countries. These are the statistics that opponents and advocates of biotechnology need to be aware of. The controversy surrounding the major concerns about the safety, environmental and ecological risks and health hazards involved with GM products must be eradicated by informing and assuring the society.

Source: ABRII