Crops

According to World Health Organisation

Genetically modified (GM) crops are crops derived from organisms whose genetic material
(DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, i.e. through the introduction
of a gene from a different organism.

GM crops are described by many different names:(i) Genetically Engineered crops (GE)
(ii) Transgenic or Biotech Crops
(iii) Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

GM CROPS - FOR
Use of pesticides or herbicides can be
minimized and thus will benefit the
environment and wildlife.
GM food could be made healthier than
conventional
foods
by,
for
e.g.,
modifying them to include extra
vitamins and nutrients.
GM crops can be engineered to survive
and grow in unfavorable conditions and
withstand drought or floods.
GM crop can give much higher yield as
compared to normal crops
GM crop can improve farmers yearly
income owing to high yield

CROPS
GM
Superbugs
or Super-weeds
might evolve
AGAINST
to be resistant to the chemicals or toxins
developed in conjunction with GM crops.
The growing of GM crops could result in
cross-pollination between GM crops and
non-GM and organic crops thereby
contaminating them.
Because it is a new technology, there is
a need to adopt the precautionary
principle.
GM crops might result in toxic and
allergic reactions in certain people.
GM crops will result in increased
dependency on transnational biotech
corporations to supply seed and
chemicals,
the
result
being
monocultures.

GM Crop What Scientists say

Foodstuffs made of genetically modified crops that are currently available (mainly
maize, soybean, and oilseed rape) have been judged safe to eat, and the methods
used to test them have been deemed appropriate (per World Health Organisation)
However, the lack of evidence of negative effects does not mean that new genetically
modified foods are without risk
Scientists recommend that food safety assessment should take place on a case-bycase basis before genetically modified food is brought to the market

Concerns about the potential for mutation. There are concerns about accidental
release, possibly leading to disease or allergens in the human population

Nothing can really be Proved Safe

What Scientists say - Environmental

effect
Positive impact

Dramatic reduction in pesticide use, with the size of the reduction varying between crops and
introduced trait.
In the USA, adoption of GM crops resulted in pesticide use reduction of 46.4 million pounds in
2003
The use of Bt cotton in China resulted in pesticide use reduction of 78,000 tons of formulated
pesticides in 2001
Herbicide tolerant crops have facilitated the continued expansion of conservation tillage, especially
no-till cultivation system, in the USA. The adoption of conservation and no-till cultivation practices
saved nearly 1 billion tons of soil per year
Biotech cotton has been documented to have a positive effect on the number and diversity of
beneficial insects in the US and Australian cotton fields

Negative impacts

Potential of the introduced genes to outcross to weedy relatives and form new weedy species
It is not impossible for new, human modified, plants to become invasive species in delicate, natural ecosystems
Direct effects on non-target organisms
GMOs may be toxic to non-target organisms, bees and butterflies being the most talked-about examples
currently.
Monarch butterflies are specifically at risk from GMO maize plants.
Irrigation carries all of these problems into water sources and into the air. This exposes different bacteria,
insects, and animals to the same problems.
Development of insect resistance
Pests that are targeted may adapt to the DNA changes in GM plants to make them resistant. This means that
they will not always be effective, but their toxic legacies will remain.

What Scientists say - Impact on

Food Production and Human Health
GM crops contributes to food production increases and higher food availability
Can provide stabilized food supply year on year
GM technology can help to breed food crops with higher contents of micronutrients
Gene transfer from GM foods to cells of the body or to bacteria in the
gastrointestinal tract would cause concern if the transferred genetic material
adversely affects human health
Allergenicity - toxins or allergens could be produced in plants, caused by the action
of inserted gene switches and gene promoters
Outcrossing - Cases have been reported where GM crops approved for animal feed or
industrial use were detected at low levels in the products intended for human
consumption.

Why Ban?
With new findings coming everyday,
countries want to play safe
They simply want to take time to do proper
research and develop better test before
allowing GM
There is a huge opposition against the GM
crops

Why Allow?
Countries have reached there saturation
point in terms of land availability and hence
want to use GM crop to increase productivity
There are very few evidence on harmful
effects of GM crop and these countries deems
it safe for usage

Current status of GM crops in India

India has the fourth largest area planted under genetically modified
(GM) crops, according to the International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA)
Since 1996, when farmers first commercially planted transgenics,
the area under these crops has risen more than hundredfold from
1.7 mh to 181.5 mh
It represents the fastest ever adoption of any technology in
agriculture
While Indias GM crop acreage is wholly dominated by Bt cotton
much of it based on the US life sciences giant Monsantos
proprietary Bollgard technology

Indias experience so far with the adoption

of GM cotton crops (i.e. Bt cotton)
Introduced in 2002 - Highest adoption rate(80% area)
Yields initially increased by just 18% up to 2007-08 and then declined to 2%
Yield increase by 2004 was mainly due to the IPM/IRM strategies, new insecticides, new
Gujarat
hybrids, new area in Gujarat, apart from the 5.4% area under Bt cotton
Research by agronomists Kiran Sakhari and Abdul Gayum
Rhizoctonia Infestation in 2006 (caused by some undesirable interaction where the gene
was introduced)
AP
False claims by Monsanto; farmers have to use pesticides after 90days invariably on Bt
(Warangal cotton too
)
Bt cotton cannot resist the infestation; Non availability of non BT seeds

Introduced in 2005
Seeds 4 times higher than non-Bt seeds
Crop failures and debt traps - Sudden growth in crop failures and suicides
Maharash
(Highest in 2006)
tra
Rice growing areas lesser suicides than suicides in cotton growing areas

Arguments for the cultivation of GM crops - Indian context

For rapidly increasing Indian population and decreasing land size under farming, GM Crops will
ensure food security. A model that can be sustainable, nutritional, high yielding, lower costs
Decrease in requirement of pesticides and fertilizers means lesser costs for the farmers, which
provides the much needed lift to already shattered Indian farmers
Considering GM crops can also sustain in the conditions of drought, it can put a check to the
farmers over dependency on the unstable Indian rainfall seasons
Farmers are stuck with old technology, yields are at a fraction of global levels, cultivable land is
shrinking and weather patterns have become less predictable.
Considering the amount of crop wastage in India due to inefficient supply chain, GM Crops offers
a solution in that they have longer shelf life
With farm holdings shrinking in many parts of India and the migration of farmers to other
occupations for a variety of reasons, the introduction & development of new technologies is
necessary for rural revival.

Arguments against the cultivation of GM crops - Indian

context
It will lead
cultivated in
as the other
corporations

to existing varieties vanishing eventually. For instance, GM cotton was being

Vidarbha. Farmers there said they had no choice but to buy and cultivate GM seeds
varieties were no longer available. Hence, there are fears that it will lead to some
monopolizing the seed market

The field is evolving and the impact of such crops on the environment and also on the human
body isn't clearly understood yet
The existing regulatory mechanism in India is weak.
Regulation was excessive and it is denying the benefits to the poor.
Concern for safety & long-term effects on the environment
Concentration of intellectual property resources
OneoftheprimefearsrelatedtobiotechnologyisthattheGMcrops
mayleadtoamonocultureanddevastatethebiodiversitythatmaybelikeaself
servingbioweapononatargetnation
To justify the introduction of GM crops in areas of origin there needs to be extraordinarily
compelling reasons and an absence of other choices. GM crops that offer incremental
advantages or solutions to specific and limited problems are not sufficient reasons to justify such
release

Different Viewpoints Indian Context

Government

Not able to leverage GM technology to its fullest potential due to strong opposition, Not able to conduct adequate field trails
We will not rush through, but we will also not come in the way of science
Need more conclusive data to proceed further
Plans to keep bio safety data out to the public domain

Industry
Wasting invaluable time in unnecessary probing
A comprehensive biotechnology policy should be developed in consultation with al stakeholders
Consultative and participative process should be in place
Awareness to clear of public perceptions

Civil Society
Strong public and political opposition amid fears about compromising on health safety and biodiversity Ex: Monsanto Case
Fears about long-term human and environmental safety, monopolies in seeds and food sovereignty
Allege that regulatory bodies and scientific publications are in bed with GM corporates

Scientific community
Unable to conduct independent research on GM crops as patents prevent full access to research materials
Scientists from institutions like IARI and ICAR and other research bodies argued that demand for scientific
trials has nothing to do with benefiting a company A or company B, but it's for larger interest of people of the
country

Need for GM crops

Environment
1. India is lacking on yield increase, which is very important given the fact
that our population is growing heavily. GMO crops will give a boost to yield
and could be a second green revolution
2. GMO crops nutrition value can be increased that will eventually help
specially the poor strata of people and will hence help in reducing sickness
and illness
3. As more crops (plants) can be grown and at more places, this decreases
global warming through the increase of oxygen in the environment,
decreasing the proportion of carbon dioxide.
4. Beside humans, livestock and animals are also beneficiaries to the higher
nutritious value of GMO crops. They have an increased resistance,
productivity, and hardiness
5. In India, the farmer have dire condition because agriculture is very much
dependent on climate and land but GM crops decreases maturation time
of the plants, so they can be harvested sooner and more often during the
year.
6. It will affect the economic condition of India. For example, Bt cotton, which
produces its own pesticide, is the country's only GM crop and covers 95
percent of India's cotton cultivation. From being a net importer, India has
become the world's second-largest producer and exporter of the fiber

Nutrition

Livestock

03
03

04
04
Agriculture

02
02

05
05

Economy

Yield
01
01

Why GM
Crops

06
06

Policy and Administrative Issues

A glaring dichotomy between the powers of the
Centre and states over regulating GM crops
and permitting their experimentation or
cultivation in open fields.

GM crops have been listed among the hazardous

substances under the Environment Protection
Act, 1986, thereby projecting them as inherently
harmful.

While the regulatory mechanism is under the

control of the Union environment ministry, the
broad field of agriculture is a state subject. This
leads to Centre-state conflicts in decisionmaking.

This creates unwarranted misperceptions about

these crops and raises misgivings over their
safety for health and environment.

Passage
of
amendments.

BRAI

Bill

with

suggested

A blanket ban of 10 years on field trials of

transgenic food crops
Role of scientists is minimum in decision
making

The rules framed under the environment law are

enforced through an administrative order
without any legislative sanction.
This leaves them open to change at any time.
This weak point allowed the Ministry to take over
GM crop approval authority, overrule the
permission granted to Bt Brinjal by the GEAC,
and put an indefinite pause on field trials of GM
crops.

Conclusion and suggestions

We need to have stability in food and agriculture as majority of the population is engaged in
agriculture
Though we have seen improvement in yield in the case of BT Cotton, more impetus on
safety should be given while adopting for food crops
There is no conclusive evidence on safety concerns regarding GM crops; Need more
research
Proprietary rights need to be stated firmly in order to keep check on monopolization
by corporates
Just like FSSAI, there should be a separate institution that would label the GMO crop
as good or bad
Scientists should be given more freedom who are currently restricted by IPRs because
the Land available for farming is decreasing and to counter this, the technology has to
evolve and improve
India's yield per hectare is 25% in comparison to developed economies. So, we better focus
on already existing techniques to improve yield while simultaneously investing on R & D on
GM Crops

FIELD VISIT: Indian Institute of Spices

Research
NO Genetically Modified Crops incidence in Spices Category
As of now, the focus is on eradicating crop failures, increasing yield
through innovative techniques & improved technology

Viewpoint on GM Crops
As of now, India is in comfortable position for food, no immediate hurry
to jump into GM crops
India hasnt reached saturation in terms of yield unlike other developed
countries like USA who are proactive in terms of adopting GM Technology
No conclusive evidence on 97% of DNA, so possibility of bad
repercussions is high
Impetus should be on R & D; Govt. should encourage PPP Models but
safeguard the proprietary rights
Public & Civil society groups cannot forget the bad implications of
previous haphazardly implemented failed innovations

Thank You!