Is India ready to embrace GM food crops?

Debates and researches are continuing across the world on GM crops and its repercussions on environment and other plants. Many countries including India remained hesitant even to experiment with the latest technology in agriculture which could feed the millions of people added every year to the food chain. In India, GM food crops are not allowed to cultivate and only BT cotton is cultivated via this technology, which proved useful to boost output many folds. The use of BT cotton has fostered Indian yields since the season of 2000-2001. But this doesn’t prompt Indian authorities to experiment with a food crop.

India last year rejected requests for BT Brinjal after holding public consultations across several cities and meeting up with farmers, scientists, environment activists and ordinary citizens. Indian society still sees the technology through suspected eyes and believed that unquestionable benefits in the short term could lead to potential risks to human health and country’s agriculture heritage in the long term. However, many agriculture scientists in the country remained hopeful and of the opinion that exploiting the progress in science and technology was essential to enhance agricultural productivity.

They think opposition to GM seeds was superstitious and application of GM seeds would increase productivity and address the issue of malnutrition. On the other hand, some argues that Indian farmers aren’t’ well equipped to deal with the latest technology and without basic knowledge of the system, it could harm other crops and surroundings and eventually their own health. Indian society as a whole too wasn’t prepared for such a technology, they added. Many strikes and protests that may occur will virtually put the whole nation to a standstill even if two or three food crops are allowed to cultivate through this technology.

They pointed out that even in the US, where the USDA recently allowed GM sugar beet cultivation under strict conditions with no threat to the environment and other plants, the opposition remained strong.

The USDA and other authorities there are supporting the technology and the USDA in their part completed an environmental impact study in a hurry to bypass a court ban that halted the planting of GM sugar beets until the completion of USDA study. Considering the fact that GM sugar beets are planted on more than 1 million acres in 10 states in the US and supply half the nation's sugar, this was a significant move. However, in India the situation was entirely different and needs more studies before introducing them to the vastly agriculture based economy like India. Genetically modified food should not be allowed as there is inadequate scientific understanding of their impact on environment and human health, argues some others.

They argued that India required following the European Union which has banned the cultivation of GM crops.

Yet others said the opposition to GM foods comes from out of fear of new technology. Recently a senior politician from a prominent Left party publicly supported the use of GM crops by saying opposition to GM crops was superstitious. It was not right to blindly oppose development in science and technology and authorities must show positive attitudes towards. It is estimated that there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all scientific studies for cultivating on a bigger scale. It might take years for GM crops to make a mark in India, but once in, it will not only play a big role in country’s self sufficiency in food sector but also help tremendously to its economic boosting.