G.M.FOOD IMBROGLIO, AGRICULTURE AND INDIAN ECONOMY

Genetically Modified Food (GM Food) or Genetically Modified Crops (GM Crops) are produced by insertion of a foreign gene through a process of genetic engineering, technically known as Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs, which has a wide variety of uses in the modern world. According to the World Health Organization, "Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. Bt cotton is a GM crop (Non food) being grown in India while Bt Brinjal (GM Food) is banned in India.

A more specifically defined type of GMO is a "transgenic organism." This is an organism whose genetic makeup are altered by the  addition of genetic material from an unrelated organism.

GMOs are used in biological and medical research, production of pharmaceutical drugs,  experimental medicine (e.g. gene therapy and vaccines against the Ebola virus), and agriculture (e.g. golden rice, resistance to herbicides), with developing uses in conservation. However, our     discussion is limited to GM Crops and GM Food and its implications on human health, agriculture and environment.

Basically, GM crops cause food allergies, increased toxicity, decreased nutritional value and antibiotic resistance. This is a process to attack on the seed sovereignty through “terminator technology” forcing farmers to buy new seed every time they sow a fresh crop. The United Nations Convention on Biodiversity has banned the use of “Terminator Technology”. It is also illegal under India’s Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right Act, 2001. 

The controversy over GMOs stared in India after a public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court in 2006 whereby the Central Govt. stopped production of Bt bringal and it was also decided that a no objection certificate is compulsory for states to conduct field trials. Thus, the farmers protest forced and convinced the then UPA Govt. to put an infinite moratorium on Bt bringal and they have been partially successful when the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) deferred a decision that would have allowed Monsanto to introduce G.M. mustered in the Indian market.

Today, even after continuous struggle for 20 years against the commercialization of GM Crops, the cumulative use of farm for biotech crops have reached an estimated 2 billion hectares during the time span 1996-2016, which is an increase of almost 100 times. It is a matter of great concern that farmers from Latin America, Asia and Africa collectively grow 97.1 million hectares, or 54% of the global 179.7 million hectares of biotech crops in 2015 as compared with industrial countries’ yield of 46% of the global total. The US uses over 70% of its arable land to grow a number of GM crops while India uses 11% to grow GM cotton.

The issue of GM Crops has become very controversial as there are certain agricultural products like maize, soya bean, corn, canola, cotton, as well as certain vegetables (such as brinjals and tomatoes) and fruits (such as papaya) that are produced by applying the methods of biotechnology for industrial use as well as for cattle feed and human consumption. Commercial sale of genetically modified foods began in 1994, when Calgene first marketed its unsuccessful Flavr Savrdelayed-ripening tomato. In 1995, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Potato was approved for cultivation, making it the first pesticide producing crop to be approved in the USA. Other genetically modified crops receiving marketing approval in 1995 were: canola with modified oil composition, Bt maize, cotton resistant to the herbicide bromoxynil, Bt cotton, glyphosate-tolerant soybeans, virus-resistant squash, and another delayed ripening tomato. With the creation of golden rice in 2000, scientists had genetically modified food to increase its nutrient value for the first time. (Source : Wikipedia).

There is a growing debate and criticism for GM Food vs the Organic Food. There are few countries which are in favour of producing GM Food and there are many other countries including developed countries where GM food are totally prohibited. There are certain elements of truth as well as certain myths for and against GM Crops and GM Food. But the larger part of the truth on the ill - effects of GM Food is overshadowed by misstatements of the vested interest group. 

Genetically Engineered Organisms are generated and tested in the laboratory for desired qualities. The most common modification is to add one or more genes to an organism's genome. Once satisfactory strains are produced, the producer applies for regulatory approval to field-test them, called a "field release." Field-testing involves cultivating the plants on farm fields or growing animals in a controlled environment. If these field tests are successful, the producer applies for regulatory approval to grow and market the crop. Once approved, specimens (seeds, cuttings, breeding pairs, etc.) are cultivated and sold to farmers. The farmers cultivate and market the new strain.

The BT cotton seed introduced by Monsanto in India first through Bollguard I and then switched over to Bollguard II for its failure to resist the pink Bollworm which raises sufficient doubt on the sustainability of the GM crops. The technological advancement and regulatory framework do not move hand in hand. It takes more time to the law makers to keep pace with the fast technological changes and this rule applies to biotechnology as well. The convention and protocols like Cartagena Protocol and trade rules like SPS and TBT under WTO legal framework need to be properly modified as per the changes that have taken place in genome editing as compared to living modified organisms or LMDs. The other related issues on IPR, Patent pools, open source biotechnology and clearing houses need to be properly addressed and be made more flexible. The Green Revolution that increased agricultural production worldwide, particularly in the developing world, in the late 1960s resulted in the adoption of new technologies. The term “Green Revolution” was first used in 1968 and the Nobel peace Prize was awarded to Normen Borlang, The “ Father of The Green Revolution” in 1970 for development of high - yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, modernization of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to farmers. However the ill - effects of some of the measures of green revolution are still fresh in the mind of agricultural scientists. It is therefore essential to be very careful from the likely dangers of GM crops on human health and environment.