Development of GM crops in india

Development of GM crops in india

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  Development of GMCrops in India Wars of the 20th century were fought over oil and gas reserves, the wars of the future will plausibly be over food and water. With growing mouths to feed and shrinking agricultural land, humans are faced with the challenging problem of ensuring food security. This problem is aggravated in developing countries due to increasing per capita food consumption. The problem of food scarcity is the foremost problem faced by humans since the beginning. India overcame this by ushering in the Green Revolution and made itself self- reliant in agriculture. Since then, there has been no significant increase in farm yield. Without new technologies, future generations will starve In the 1990s a breakthrough in science and technology paved the way for commercialisation of Genetically Engineered crops with better characteristics and productivity. Just as the green revolution revolved around the use of improved seeds, intensive fertilizer application and vast irrigation networks, Genetically Modified crops depend upon playing with the fundamental code of life, the DNA. Genes impart particular characteristics and traits to every living organism. Genetic information is passed down through generations and becomes the unique identity of the species. During this process they undergo natural modifications to enhance their survival with changing times. This is called natural evolution. Science has made humans capable of interfering with this natural process and produce organisms with traits we desire. GM crops have been developed with improved resistance to extreme weather conditions like droughts, frost and seasonal flooding. Crop varieties with shorter growth span consume less water and grow faster. Resistance to pests and vulnerable diseases has been embedded in the genetic code. Nutrient profile of crops has been enhanced and is useful in improving diet. Golden rice, a GM rice variety provides the necessary vitamin A not found in staple rice. The most important benefit has been the increase in productivity and yield. Development of GM crops requires a large sum of grants, infrastructure and time. USA has looked to GE as the only currently available solution to ensure survival when global climatic changes are imminent and catastrophic. With respect to India, GM crops promise to rid India of malnutrition and hunger. With proper implementation of this technology, food security can be guaranteed for the next decades. Also nutritional deficiencies endemic to certain regions can be overcome. For instance people in mountainous regions can consume crops which are naturally richer in iodine. The use and commercialisation of GM crops has been largely approved by the scientific community. But people are sceptical of the vested interests of governments and big multinational corporations. As most of GM research and development has been undertaken by a few MNCs across the world, people are wary of their use and subsequent patent policies. The presence of only a few companies in GE is the large amount of investment and risks involved which only the industrial heavyweights can afford. GM crops pass through a
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  large number oflaboratory tests and field trials. Conducting field trials requires a lot of licensing and ministerial approvals as well as local body consent. Environmentalists argue that commercialisation of GM crops poses a risk to the unique gene pool of regional crops which may get totally extinct. People have displayed grave concerns about the health effects of GE crops. Governments claim that tests field tests only determine the short term effects. Long term adverse effects which may come after years of use are not known. Public acceptance of GM crops can be achieved by assuaging their fears through proper information dissemination. Also government regulatory agencies should be more transparent in the conduct of their decisions. Regulatory rules and norms should be up to date to prevent any bypass. Field tests and trials should be thoroughly examined. Environmental Impact Assessment reports should be informed to the GM farmers. At the same time government should encourage research in this field. The world is going to find itself under massive strain to provide water, energy and food for its people. Already, almost a billion people are suffering from serious food shortages and face starvation and in the next couple of decades there will be a worsening of that problem unless we take effective action now.