Agriculture experts on Thursday highlighted the importance of Methyl Bromide (MeBr) fumigation that they said is a vital quarantine treatment for all imported agricultural products to prevent the spread of invasive pests and diseases.
They said that as a powerful fumigant, MeBr protects commodities like grains, fruits, and wood, eliminating harmful insects, larvae, and eggs that may threaten local ecosystems in the country.
“This treatment is mandated under international phytosanitary regulations to ensure bio-security and protect domestic agriculture from contamination. Without MeBr fumigation, countries risk introducing foreign pests that could devastate crops, cause economic losses, and disrupt food supply chains,” they stated.
The exerts of the view that newly established National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority (NAFSA) has undermined these integral part in its regulations for imports of agricultural products.
According to the sources, some of the officials at NAFSA and food ministry have been backing such regulatory maelstrom, adding that incumbent Director Technical Quarantine and Pesticides Registration is allegedly under investigation for multiple FIRs filed against him. They also revealed this scribe that he is also facing investigations for alleged complicity in issuing bio-security clearances to infested soybean cargoes — a scandal that has wrought havoc on Pakistan’s environment, natural resources and agricultural productivity.
An official privy to the matter said while wishing anonymity that some government investigative watchdog also documented systemic abuse of authority, widespread corruption, and collusion between some senior and junior officials at NAFSA and vested interests. Multiple criminal cases have been registered, yet punitive action has been limited and inconsistent. Instead of addressing these root governance failures, the current administration has doubled down on punitive policies that disproportionately punish fumigators, conveniently sidelining scrutiny of their own regulatory conduct.
Moreover, NAFSA’s pesticide review committee operates in flagrant disregard of country legal framework and international treaty obligations. Despite the establishment of NAFSA under an ordinance in 2025 designed to modernize agricultural biosecurity governance, the authority has sidestepped the expert-mandated National Biosecurity Technical Committee (NBTC) and National Plant Health Committee (NPHC) — bodies charged by law with oversight on such critical matters.
The use of MeBr for fumigation is exempt from limits placed by in its use under the Montreal Protocol and is most suitable for Pakistan due to excessive cost and lack of available technology for alternatives. Halting methyl bromide fumigation jeopardizes Pakistan’s ability to prevent invasive pests from entering its borders and compromising domestic agriculture, agricultural experts warned, adding that this failure will almost certainly trigger increased pest outbreaks, crop losses, a surge in pesticide use, soaring food prices, and erosion of Pakistan’s export competitiveness.
The rice, sesame, and corn export sectors alone have suffered billions of rupees in losses during the past six months due to quarantine lapses — a crisis that will only worsen as fumigation capacity dwindles. Major trading partners such as Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, the USA, Russia, Thailand, Korea, and Mexico strictly enforce phytosanitary import conditions that require effective quarantine treatments like methyl bromide fumigation. Pakistan’s failure to meet these conditions risks widespread trade bans and long-term damage to its agricultural export reputation.
Meanwhile, exporters are caught in a regulatory limbo, facing delays and escalating costs as uncertified cargoes accumulate at ports. The lack of a competent authority to clear consignments compounds the crisis, with NAFSA’s unlawful appointment of inexperienced officials from unrelated research bodies aggravating the situation.
Unlike Pakistan’s reckless trajectory, neighboring countries with similar or superior agricultural profiles continue to rely on methyl bromide fumigation in compliance with international standards. India, Thailand, the Philippines, and Bangladesh carefully apply MeBr to disinfest agricultural commodities, recognizing that alternatives such as heat treatment, controlled atmosphere, or irradiation remain largely infeasible or unapproved by IPPC for broad-spectrum use.
Afghanistan — often cited as less resourced — continues to mandate methyl bromide fumigation for agricultural imports, underscoring Pakistan’s isolationist policy as an outlier even in the region. Pakistan’s abrupt and unilateral policies risk severing trade ties, damaging its agri-trade credibility, and alienating it from global biosecurity frameworks.
