Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
Notice (8): Undefined variable: urlPrefix [APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8]latest-news-updates/gm-crops-what039s-all-the-fuss-about-nikhil-inamdar-23767.html"/> LATEST NEWS UPDATES | GM Crops-What's all the fuss about -Nikhil Inamdar | Im4change.org
Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

GM Crops-What's all the fuss about -Nikhil Inamdar
-The Business Standard


A quick recap of the intensely fractured debate on GM crops and what the pro & anti arguments are.

After nearly a decade of opposition, Environment Minister Veerappa Moily is finally expected to rule in favour of the contentious GM or genetically modified food crops in India. The Economic Times reports that this will "pave the way for the government to submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court agreeing to field trials of GM crops on a conditional basis."

Since 2005 when NGOs filed a public interest litigation asking for a moratorium on the introduction of GM crops, there has been a stalemate on the issue. A 6 member Supreme Court appointed panel was formed last year and submitted its interim report which took into cognizance objections from NGOs. A final report was submitted in July this year which dropped the 10 year moratorium on field trials of GM crops as suggested in the interim report but imposed several conditionalities and asked for safety and regulatory aspects to be looked into before a nod for related tests could be considered. In a nutshell the court has recommended an indefinite freeze on open field trials of GM foods as of now.

Here's a quick recap on why the debate around GM crops is so fractured and what the pro & anti arguments are -

Anti GM crops

Consisting of farmers, environmental and social activists, this group of people believes GM foods pose potential threats to health and the environment, and their long term genetic impact on human beings could be harmful. Farmers are concerned that GM IPRs (intellectual property rights) are used by multinational corporations to monopolize markets. Farmers fear that they will need to pay for GM crop varieties that they would originally have sourced from their own fields, to buy seeds from corporations like Monsanto that hold patents. There are also fears that GM crops destroy soil diversity and pose potential risks to species such as birds, pollinators and micro-organisms while only modestly increasing yields.

Opponents of GM foods also believe there has been inadequate testing and regulation around the issue and long term health benefits haven't entirely been ascertained. They say even though GM crops have been a big part of U.S. food production for more than a decade, majority of produce is used for animal feed or in processed foods. GM foods are also largely banned in Europe and where allowed have strict labeling norms with the view that consumers should be educated about what they are buying.

Pro GM crops

The pro GM foods lobby made up of multi-national corporations and certain sections of the farming community argue that GM crops increase agricultural productivity, and are recognized as safe by international bodies like the WHO and the USFDA. Contrary to propaganda that they are likely to cause allergies resistant to antibiotics, corporations argue that traits introduced into plants are carefully evaluated for being allergenic and toxic. A report in the Time magazine points out that GM crops have increased agriculture production by nearly $100 billion and prevented nearly 500 million kg of pesticides from being sprayed since the technology was first commercialized nearly two decades ago. It has also helped farmers in countries like China increase yields by nearly 6% since 1997 and reduced the use of insecticides by around 80%.

Pro-GM advocates cite the need to combat global hunger for the use of GM foods. "By 2050, the world's population is projected to rise to 9 billion from just over 7 billion currently. Proponents of genetically modified foods say they are safe and can boost harvests even in bad conditions by protecting against pests, weeds and drought. This, they argue, will be essential to meeting the needs of a booming population in decades to come and avoiding starvation" according to the Associated Press.

The Indian Scenario

BT cotton is the only genetically modified crop whose commercial production is allowed in India. Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh put a moratorium on BT Brinjal last year after a study by the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology suggested that a variety of GM corn was causing cancer in rats.

Nonetheless, the Indian experience with GM cotton has been largely successful. 88% of Indian cotton is of the GM variety called BT cotton. Reports show the use of BT technology has substantially increased the profitability of cotton production in the country, yields have soared from 191 kg in Maharashtra to 491 kg and use of pesticides had dropped from 46 per cent to 21 per cent according to some reports. However recent reports show that since 2010, cotton bollworm has been developing resistance to BT cotton in areas and farmers in Punjab have also been reported to be facing trouble from pests.

Indian scientists have reportedly developed more than 200 genetically modified (GM) varieties of 15 crops including cotton, brinjal, castor, groundnut, mustard, papaya, potato, rice, wheat etc according to media reports and are waiting testing and trials.