GM
MUSTARD - AGRICULTURE
News:
Forum alleges serious
regulatory lapses in GEAC approval for GM mustard
What's
in the news?
●
The Coalition for a GM-Free India alleged
15 instances of ‘‘serious regulatory
lapses" in the appraisal and approval of GM mustard variety DMH-11.
●
The coalition accused the Union government
of attempting to mislead the Supreme Court on critical aspects of the issue and
ignoring socio-economic implications.
●
The GM mustard approval ignores the fact
that agriculture is a State subject,
the coalition pointed out. Many States have spoken out against the crop, but it
was approved without respecting the policy positions of the States or holding
consultations with them.
Key
takeaways:
●
Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11) had
recently been approved by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)
for cultivation in farmer fields, as a precursor to commercial cultivation.
○
The
GEAC is an autonomous body of experts authorised by the Union environment
ministry to appraise the safety of genetically modified seeds.
●
The only other transgenic seed permitted
to be commercially cultivated in India is Bt cotton.
Significance
of GM Mustard:
1.
Reducing the Import dependency in edible oil:
●
India imports Rs.60,000 crore worth of
edible oils every year.
●
There is an urgent need to reduce
dependence on imports and raise domestic crop yields of mustard, which in turn
raises production of edible oils domestically.
2.
GM makes hybridisation possible:
●
Mustard cannot be naturally hybridized
because it is a self-pollinating plant having both male and female reproductive
parts in a single flower. But researchers have created hybridized mustard using
GM technology.
3.
High Yield:
●
DMH-11 is claimed to have shown an average
28% yield increase over Varuna.
4.
Herbicide tolerance:
●
The presence of a third ‘bar’ gene, which
makes GM mustard plants tolerant to the spraying of glufosinate ammonium, a
chemical used for killing weeds.
5.
Safer for Humans and Environment:
●
Extensive studies carried out on toxicity,
allergenicity, compositional analysis, field trials and environmental safety
studies of GM mustard lines vs. their non-transgenic comparators have provided
evidence that they are safe for cultivation and for food and feed use.
6.
Doesn't Affect Pollination:
●
Studies conducted during 2018-19 and
2019-20 indicated that there is no negative impact of Bt transgenic cotton
cultivars on bees, brood rearing, pollen and nectar hoarding of Apis mellifera
colonies as compared to non -transgenic cotton cultivars.
GM
crops in India:
Bt
cotton:
●
Bt cotton, the only GM crop that is
allowed in India, has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the
common pest pink bollworm.
●
On the other hand, Bt cotton is derived
with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil bacterium, which
allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate.
Global
variants:
●
Across the world, GM variants of maize,
canola and soybean, too, are available.
Advantages
of GM crops:
1.
Production:
●
It improves production and raises the
farmer’s income.
●
Reduced maturation time.
2.
Reduces Pesticide:
●
It reduces the use of pesticide and
insecticide during farming that might be great moves for the betterment of the
food supply.
3.
Food security:
●
It can feed a rapidly increasing
population because it shows dramatically increased yields.
4.
Efficiency:
●
It can produce more in small areas of
land.
5.
More nutritious and tastier:
●
May be possible to produce medicines or
even vaccines.
Issues
associated with GM crops:
1.
Genetic contamination:
●
Since a GMO is artificially created, its
breeding with the other crops in the natural ecosystem can result in genetic
contamination.
2.
Affecting species diversity:
●
Bt crops can harm non-target insects
thereby affecting species diversity.
●
In the case of Bt. Corn, Monarch
butterflies feeding on wild milkweed that grows near cornfields may be harmed.
3.
Super weeds:
●
GM technology could also allow the
transfer of genes from one crop to another, creating “super weeds”, which might
be immune to common control methods.
4.
Commercialisation:
●
Corporate control over farming is
facilitated by GM technology (with accompanying Intellectual Property Rights),
giving them control over the food supply.
●
From an economic standpoint, this poses a
risk to long-term food security by creating dependence on a single or limited
number of suppliers.
5.
Increased use of chemicals:
●
Though GM Cotton was supposed to be more
resistant to pests, chemical usage (including pesticides) in India’s cotton
cultivation has actually increased.
6.
Inadequate Safety Assessments:
●
The current safety assessments are
inadequate to catch most of the harmful effects from the GM crops.
●
Moreover, the regulatory regime in India
about GM crops has never been assessed thoroughly about the GM risk assessment
in Indian conditions.
WAY
FORWARD:
●
The challenges linked to GM crops need to
be addressed by governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, industrial policy and food labelling.
●
Academia should come forward and help in
guiding public perception and building confidence in the appropriate processes
and products of GM technology.
●
Any decision on introduction of GM
technologies must be taken on the basis
of scientific evidence.
●
A participatory
approach should be adopted in order to bring together all stakeholders to
develop regulatory protocols. This would ensure trust in the entire process.
●
GM
crops can play a major role in ensuring food security for the coming
generation.
●
There is a need to strengthen, conserve
and preserve traditional seeds that would ensure food security.