Hybrid Maize Seed Import in Pakistan: Rules, Suppliers and the GM Ban

Yes, hybrid maize seed import is active and legal in Pakistan, led by Bayer, Syngenta and Pioneer, mostly sourced from the United States and Thailand. That is separate from genetically modified maize seed, which has been banned since 2018 following a Bio-Safety Committee decision. This post separates the two issues: what non-GM hybrid maize import looks like today, and why the GM ban exists and remains in force.

Is hybrid maize seed import legal in Pakistan?

Yes, for conventional hybrid varieties. Pakistan's Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC), under the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), reviews and approves hybrid maize varieties for commercial cultivation in batches. In one reported approval round, the VEC cleared 33 maize hybrids for commercial cultivation, alongside two pearl millet fodder hybrids, two sorghum-sudan grass hybrids and one sorghum hybrid, out of 48 proposals examined, with 38 total allowed for enlisting with the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD), according to The News. In that round, Monsanto, Syngenta and Pioneer submitted 1, 2 and 3 hybrids respectively, against 42 hybrids from local companies, of which 10 were not recommended over performance or procedural issues.

This shows hybrid maize approval works on a company-by-company, variety-by-variety basis rather than a blanket clearance, and multinational seed companies compete alongside local breeders for each approval round.

What is the difference between hybrid maize and GM maize in Pakistan's rules?

This distinction is the one that trips people up, so it is worth stating plainly. Hybrid maize means conventionally bred varieties crossing two parent lines for hybrid vigor, which is what PARC approves and what Bayer, Syngenta and Pioneer sell commercially in Pakistan. Genetically modified (GM or GE) maize means varieties altered through genetic engineering, and import of GM maize seed is a separate, banned category.

Pakistan's National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research was told that GM maize seed import had been banned on health and environmental grounds. Pakistan is treated internationally as a non-GMO country for maize production, and countries that import Pakistani maize are themselves non-GMO buyers, so introducing GM seed risked damaging that export position, alongside local buyers who would avoid corn grown from GM seed. Maize is wind-pollinated, and GM maize was flagged as able to cross-pollinate conventional crops within roughly a 5-kilometer radius, a concern the health, climate change and commerce ministries all cited in supporting the ban, per the Express Tribune. Pakistan's Bio-Safety Committee formally imposed the ban in 2018.

For the parallel situation in soybean and canola, where a GM import ban was later lifted under license, see our post on GM soybean and canola import rules. Maize has not followed that path: the GM seed ban for maize remains separate and, based on available reporting, still in force.

Hybrid maize sits alongside other variety-approval-driven seed categories we cover, including hybrid vegetable seed and seed potato from the Netherlands, where PARC/FSC&RD or a source-country inspection agreement plays the same gating role that it plays here.

Who imports hybrid maize seed into Pakistan, and from where?

Volza's shipment tracking names Bayer Pakistan Pvt Ltd, Syngenta Pakistan Limited and Pioneer Pakistan Seed Ltd as the leading buyers of hybrid corn seed in Pakistan, importing mainly from the United States, India and Thailand, with global suppliers including Bayer Cropscience, Syngenta India Limited and PHI Seeds Private Ltd, per Volza's hybrid corn seed import data.

Looking at maize seed value overall rather than just the hybrid corn category, World Bank trade data (WITS/Comtrade) for 2023 shows the United States supplying about USD 38.02 million (13,731,000 kg) and Thailand about USD 32.87 million (10,089,100 kg) of maize seed to Pakistan, together accounting for the bulk of the trade. Much smaller volumes came from Italy (USD 153,060), Brazil (USD 149,520) and Australia (USD 14,280), according to World Bank WITS data.

What should a maize seed importer confirm before shipping?

1. Confirm the specific hybrid variety carries current PARC/VEC approval and FSC&RD enlistment, since approval is granted variety by variety, not to a company as a whole.
2. Confirm the seed is a conventional hybrid, not a genetically modified line, given the standing 2018 ban on GM maize seed import.
3. Apply for the standard DPP Form-I import permit through the Pakistan Single Window, covered in our DPP Form-1 permit guide.
4. Match invoice, phytosanitary certificate and permit details on variety name and quantity, the same discipline that applies to any seed shipment under our step-by-step seed import guide.

The commercial hybrid maize trade in Pakistan is active and well established, running through major multinational suppliers, but it sits right next to a hard boundary on GM material. Keeping the two apart on paper, not just in practice, is what keeps a shipment out of a compliance dispute at the port.

Olympic Agencies has cleared agricultural cargo, seeds, fertilizer and agricultural machinery, at Karachi Port and Port Qasim since 1982. We handle the DPP permit and FSC&RD enlistment checks for hybrid maize seed shipments under our seed import clearance service. Send us your hybrid variety name, supplier and origin country on WhatsApp and we will confirm its approval status before the seed ships.

More on seed imports

• Importing Wheat Seed into Pakistan: FSC&RD, the Rust-Resistance Imperative, and Why Most Wheat Is Not Imported as Seed
• Importing Cotton Seed into Pakistan: the Variety Approval System and the Bollgard Ban
• Importing Sunflower Seed into Pakistan: the Oilseed Variety That Reduces Import Dependence
• Importing Hybrid Vegetable Seed into Pakistan: Tomato, Onion and Chili
• Rhodes Grass Seed Import and Cultivation in Pakistan: A Grower's Guide
• Seed Potato Imports from the Netherlands: Pakistan's Rules Explained
• Can You Import GM Soybean and Canola into Pakistan? The Rules After the 2026 Biotech Policy
• How to Import Seeds into Pakistan — a Step-by-Step Guide for 2026
• Kharif and Rabi Import Planning — When Should Agri Importers Order, Ship, and Clear?
• Plant Quarantine Inspection at Karachi — What Happens and Why Consignments Get Held
• Seed Import Permit in Pakistan — the Complete DPP and Form-I Guide (2026)
• Our service: Seed Imports clearance →