The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that future collaborative projects between the U.S. and Pakistan would include using American soybean feed in poultry, fish farming, and dairy industries; introducing genetically engineered (GE) maize; and working with various government agencies to develop uniform food safety standards.

Casey E. Bean, USDA official based in the US Embassy in Islamabad said that they are working collaboratively with the government and the industry not only in poultry but also in the new and exciting area of fish farming which is in the pipeline. They are also assisting in the approval of GE maize as it is currently being considered in Pakistan. "It would offer farmers a tool to increase their production and reduce use of agricultural chemicals," he claimed.

Bean said that the USDA is working with the Department of Commerce, the Ministry of National Food Security, and the agribusiness sector to implement uniform food safety standards and the Federal Government's food security experts would provide insights in adapting international standards.

For more information, read the article in The Dawn.