• GM crop proponents are jubilant over the approval given to genetically modified herbicide-tolerant mustard (GM HT mustard).
• However, some activists approached the Supreme Court to ban it for various reasons.
• The Supreme Court has ordered the status quo to be maintained till the next hearing on the matter.
• Genetically modified crops are created by inserting genes from different organisms into the DNA sequence of specific crop varieties
• This produces traits that would not occur naturally, such as resistance to pests or environmental conditions like drought.

GM crops and World

• GM crops have spread around the world since 1996.
• By 2019, roughly 190 million hectares were under GM crops, led by corn and soyabean in the US, Brazil, Argentina, and canola (rapeseed/mustard) in Canada, with no harmful impact on human or animal health or the environment per se.
• Even Bangladesh has marched ahead with Bt brinjal.
• More than 70 countries have accepted the use of GM crops.
• In India, the first GM crop, Bt cotton, was released in 2002 by the government.
• Since then, Cotton production increased remarkably in India.
• The government envisioned that science could transform agriculture.

Concerns with Bt Cotton

• Several concerns have been expressed from time to time to emphasise the risks associated with GM crops.
• Some of these include:
• Enhanced sucking pest damage in Bt cotton
• Increase in secondary pests such as mired bugs and Spodoptera
• The emergence of pest resistance
• Environmental and health implications in terms of toxicity and allergenicity that can cause hematotoxin reactions in the human body.
• Based on largely unproven fears, the commercial release of Ht Bt cotton, Bt brinjal and now GM mustard has been held under moratorium.
• This is despite the official clearance from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

Use of GMOs in India

• GMOs have been in the Indian food systems for years.
• India heavily depends on imported edible oils (55-60 percent of India’s domestic requirement is imported).
• A large portion of this — about three-four million tonnes every year — comes from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the US, etc, which is all from GM technology (in soybean and canola).
• Plenty of India’s demand for cotton seed (binola) oil, and 95 % of cotton is now GM.
• Cotton seed is also fed to cattle which gives the milk its fat content.
• Even poultry feed, such as soya and corn, is being imported.
• So, it is clear that GM food is already in the food chain, and has been there for quite some time.

Concerns

Policy paralysis on GM technologies

• It was expected that India would be at the forefront of the gene revolution and emerge as a major export hub to other Asian and African countries.
• Like the IT revolution, the Bt revolution could have been done the same in agriculture.
• Unfortunately, the policy paralysis on GM technologies from 2003 to 2021, under pressure from activists and ideologues, has cost the farmers a lot.

Denial of GM-Mustard

• By not allowing GM mustard or for that matter even Bt brinjal for so long means denying the basic rights of farmers who want to increase their incomes.
• The best way to do so is by raising productivity in a sustainable manner.
• The field trials of GM mustard at different locations showed 25-28 percent higher yield and better disease resistance compared to indigenous varieties.
• This can go a long way in augmenting domestic mustard oil supplies and farmers’ incomes.

The agriculture of tomorrow is going to be science-based, and the winners will be those who adopt it and develop it further today. Innovation is the name of the game, and “Jai Anusandhan” is a good slogan given by PM. But it will have meaning only when the government goes ahead with not just GM mustard but also fast-tracks Ht Bt cotton, Bt brinjal, and even GM soya and corn. We political leadership to keep the decision-making science-based when it comes to gene revolution.