GM Crops
- Crops that have been genetically modified (GM): GM foods are made from plants whose genes have been artificially altered, typically by introducing genetic material from another organism, to give it a new property, such as increased yield, tolerance to a herbicide, resistance to disease or drought, or to improve its nutritional value.
- Golden rice is most likely the GM rice strain with the best reputation.
- In order to create a grain that is high in vitamin A, golden rice entails the insertion of DNA from a plant—both daffodils and maize have been used—and a soil bacterium.
- In India, only one GM crop—Bt cotton—is permitted for commercial production.
- In this nation, no GM food crop has ever been authorised for commercial production.
- However, permission has been given for at least 20 GM crops to conduct limited field tests.
- This involves the creation of hybrid seeds, GM rice cultivars with enhanced resistance to pests and diseases, and nutritional improvements like golden rice.
- Due to their changed DNA, GM foods have the potential to enhance antibiotic resistance and trigger allergic reactions in some individuals.
- India would be the greatest rice exporter in the world in 2020, selling 18 million tonnes of grain (organic rice) and earning Rs. 65,000 crore, with around a fifth of that quantity being premium basmati.
- Out of the 75 nations that purchase Indian rice, the US and the UK are the two biggest importers of basmati rice, with the majority of non-basmati rice going to African nations as well as India’s neighbours Nepal and Bangladesh.
- The worst-case scenario for Indian farmers may be what transpired in the US in 2006 when leftovers from a GM rice variety were discovered in shipments intended for export.
- When trading partners like Japan, Russia, and the EU stopped importing rice from the US, farmers in that country suffered significantly.
- India created regulations to limit GM rice trials in the basmati belt in response to lobbying at the time from the rice export sector. However, farmers from other regions of the nation are concerned that their products might be contaminated, particularly those who are attempting to break into the still-emerging but expanding organic rice export market.
- Hundreds of growers flagrantly disregard legal requirements in order to produce unlicensed Bt Brinjal and HtBt Cotton on a large scale for commercial purposes.
Way Forward:
- The top Indian rice researchers who have been working on traditional GM rice appear to have temporarily stopped.
- The first non-GM rice varieties with herbicide resistance and direct sowing capabilities have just been made available, saving money on labour and water.
- The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is trying to develop rice strains that can withstand salinity and drought using a novel gene editing technique called Site Directed Nuclease (SDN) 1 and 2. This technology, which has not yet received regulatory approval, allows the modification of the rice plant’s own genes without introducing genes from other organisms.
- The regulatory framework needs to be strengthened in light of these recent changes for the benefit of both domestic and foreign clients.
- Science must be used to inform decisions, and the processes for approving new technology must be sped up.
- To ensure that safety measures are strictly followed and to halt the spread of unapproved GM crops, strict oversight and enforcement are required.
