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India’s population in 2022 is projected to be 140 crores. The country needs to produce adequate food grains to feed so many people. The Green revolution has enabled people to have sufficient food, and the nation today exports food and food products to the world. Indian agriculture scientists have developed high-yielding, drought-resistant varieties of agriculture and horticultural crops. However, many farmers still depend on rain for agricultural production despite this. Monsoon failure, untimely rains, and pest attacks result in low food production. This affects farmers’ livelihood and the nation’s food security and results in high rates of food grains, vegetables, and fruits.
What Is the Genetic Modification of Crops?
Many scientists are in favour of GM crops, as they believe that genetically modified crops are an answer to the varied challenges faced by farmers ensuring adequate food production in the country.
Genetic modification is the technology of inserting new DNA into an organism’s genome- be it plants or animals.
In crops, genetic modification involves adding a specific DNA stretch into the plant’s genome, giving it new characteristics which do not naturally occur in the species. This new characteristic can change the plant’s growth or make it resistant to a particular disease. Therefore, the new DNA becomes part of the GM plant’s genome, and the seeds produced by these plants will contain new characteristics.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of GM Crops
Any technology or process has its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s look at what are the benefits and risks of GM crops.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
GM crops can help improve the nutritional quality of the crop. By introducing new genes, GM plants can produce grains with higher nutritional value. | GM crops can tend to be resistant to antibiotics. The resultant antibiotic resistance in the food chain can mean people are vulnerable to diseases (which otherwise could have been treated by simpler antibiotics). |
In some crops, GM helps efficient use of minerals from the soil. This means soil nutrients stay longer and need less frequent additions through manure or fertilisers. | Altered DNA and longer use of GM crops can result in children developing allergic reactions to the native varieties. |
GM crops have new characteristics to tolerate, withstand, and adapt to adverse conditions like drought, extremely high or low temperatures, and excess rains. | Due to cross-pollination between native and GM varieties, the native species can potentially get contaminated. |
GM crops are developed to be resistant to pests. This increases yield and production while requiring fewer chemical pesticides. Most pesticides are not good for the environment. | Higher yields of GM crops tend to increase their usage in comparison to the native varieties. This can directly affect the biodiversity of such crops. These concerns have resulted in the setting up of GM regulatory mechanisms in India. |
Production costs of GM crops can be low, due to lower labour employment, less irrigation, and reduced pesticide usage. | Genetic modification doesn’t focus adequately on nutritional value. GM crops, therefore, tend to have lower nutritional value. |
Experts favour GM crops, as their higher yields help in improved production, and less post-harvest wastage, resulting in an improved ability to feed a large population. | GM crops seeds market is monopolised by a few companies, resulting in higher prices for farmers. |
The Regulatory mechanisms in India for Regulating GM Crops:
While the advantages of GM crops have been notable. However, valid concerns like ensuring agriculture biodiversity, ensuring crop nutritional value, and affordable GM seeds for farmers have led to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).
GEAC was set up in 1989 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). GEAC is broadly responsible for:
- Environmental assessment of large scale use of GM in research and industrial production.
- Assessment of proposals to genetically modify organisms and GM products into the environment and for experimental trials in the field.
- To take punitive action when required under the Environment Protection Act.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) composition ensures adequate representation from the policymakers and scientific community like agriculture research, atomic energy, groundwater board, and agriculture universities. It is mandated to meet every month to consider policy issues and applications.
Conclusion:
India has progressed from a food importer to a largely food self-sufficient nation. The hardworking farming community, agriculture research and development, and irrigation development have ensured that the country has enough to feed its large population. Today, India also exports food and food products to the world. However, with many farmers still dependent on rainfed farming, agriculture production is vulnerable to climate change-related conditions like low and untimely rains, droughts, and high temperatures. Experts have favoured GM crops as an important answer to ensure adequate food production and security for the country. Feedback and research from farming and using GM crops have led to several concerns on health, environment, and overall agriculture biodiversity. The government has set up a Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) which is mandated to regulate GM activities, GM research, assess proposals for GM crops field trials and penalise violators.
