infected by chikungunya. There is
near unanimity over the need to
replace age-old techniques of
fogging and spraying pesticides
with new approaches that could
include even GM.
Such openness to GM for
addressing problems of urban
India is, however, in marked
contrast to the outright hostility
when it comes to application of
GM technology in crops grown by
farmers in rural areas. We are
seeing this currently in GM
mustard, a technology developed
indigenously by a team of
scientists at Delhi University’s
Centre for Genetic Manipulation
of Crop Plants. This technology
not only promises higher yields
through crossing of Indian and
East European mustard lines, but
also allows for introduction of
new traits relating to quality (oil
with zero erucic acid content) or
resistance to disease (alternaria
blight and stem rot). There are
limits to achieving these through
conventional breeding.
Today, India has roughly six
million mustard farmers with
commercial yields averaging 1.2
tonnes per hectare – one-third
that of Canada and Australia.
Mustard accounts for over a
quarter of domestic edible oil
production. A doubling of yields
will not only benefit our mustard
growers, but also help cut the
country’s 16 million tonnes edible
oil imports costing it $10.5 billion
a year.
It is strange, then, to find the
same politicians, so gung ho
about introducing GM mosquitoes
in cities, being totally opposed to
planting of GM mustard by six
million farmers. This, despite the
former being based on ‘videshi’
technology and the latter
developed by ‘desi’ scientists.
On October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s
birthday, the AAP government in
Delhi held a ‘Jashn-e-Sarson’ fair
in support of so-called organic
mustard that few farmers anyway
grow. The party has even sought
to make GM mustard an issue in
the forthcoming Punjab Assembly
elections, with one its ministers
Kapil Mishra claiming that it was
a “direct attack on the identity
of Punjab”.
AAP’s not alone. The Swadeshi
Jagran Manch and Bharatiya
Kisan Sangh — affiliates of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
that has a powerful influence on
the ruling government at the
Centre — have also thrown their
full weight behind opposing
clearance for commercial
cultivation of GM mustard. This,
even after a subcommittee of
experts constituted by the Genetic
Engineering Appraisal Committee
— the apex government regulator
that approves proposals relating
to trials and commercialisation of
GM organisms — found the
technology to be “safe for human
and animal health” and unlike to
“pose any risk to biodiversity and
the agro-ecosystem”.
Again, consider the irony. Here,
we have ‘swadeshis’ opposing a
GM mustard technology
indigenously developed by Delhi
University, unmindful of the fact
that doing so will only increase
India’s dependence on imported
edible oils (a significant part of
which is GM anyway!).
Surprisingly, the same politicians
have no issues with GM
mosquitoes even if the technology
is borrowed from Oxford
University or China.
Note: The views expressed by the
authors are their own and the
BioVoice may not necessarily agree
with all aspects of their opinion.
DR BHAGIRATH CHAUDHARY
Dr Bhagirath Chaudhary, Founder
Director, South Asia Biotechnology
Centre (SABC). Dr Chaudhary has rich
experience in both research as well
as the review of various aspects
related to the plant biotechnology. He
is also the Faculty of Bioscience
Engineering of Gent University since
June, 2013 besides being an
honorary member of public Research
& Regulation Initiative (PRRI) since
October 2012.
DR ANIL RAM CHAUHAN
Dr Anil Ram Chauhan, Senior AdvisorGovt Relations, Association of
Biotechnology Led Enterprises
(ABLE). Dr Chauhan is a known
biosciences expert with deep
understanding of administration and
regulatory affairs. He is currently also
a Steering Committee Member at
EuroAid India HookVac Partnership
(HIP) - EuroAid India HookVac
Partnership. In the near past, he has
also served as Senior Vice President
of Operations at Avesthagen Limited.
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