Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan pitches for GM crops to boost output

Agra: Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Friday pitched for genetically modified (GM) crops saying that the technology holds “great promise” to address the crop losses occurring due to drought, floods and other stresses. Although the commercial release of newer technologies can help boost crop yields and improve farmer income, faster technology adoption can happen only if there is a rational regime for technology pricing and licensing, he said. The government has so far permitted commercial cultivation of BT cotton but imposed moratorium on commercial release of Bt brinjal in February 2010 due to concerns aired by green activists. In the current NDA government, right wing-affiliated groups – the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) and the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) have also expressed opposition to GM crops. “Apart from increased productivity to produce more from less water and land, the losses that occur due to droughts, floods, biotic and other abiotic stresses also need to be eliminated decisively through adoption of appropriate technologies. In this context, genetic engineering holds great promise,” Singh said at the India Seed Congress here. Bt cotton in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other states has clearly demonstrated what these new technologies can do to enhance farmer incomes, he said. “Newer technologies like herbicide tolerance can, when introduced commercially in India, substantially increase productivity leading to greater farmer incomes,” an Agriculture Ministry statement quoted Singh to say. Although global institutional collaborations between public and private sector are essential to introduce innovations and technologies, but such arrangements should benefit all the stakeholders, he added. Singh also said, “…faster technology diffusion and adoption can happen only if there is a rational regime for technology pricing and licensing which enables a level playing field and also fosters healthy competition.” The Minister emphasised that the superior genetics encapsulated in seed combined with improved agronomies should be the key strategy to break the yield barriers. “In this direction, the private seed industry has significantly contributed and successfully complemented with the public sector. Government shall therefore support PPP initiatives for overall development of the sector,” he said. Stating that a substantial increase in crop yields is the answer to achieve food security in a sustainable manner, he said that appropriate policy support for seed improvements through conventional and biotech methods would greatly help in ensuring food and nutritional security of the country. The Indian seed industry is growing at about 15 per cent annually, which is double the world’s average. This has been possible only through increased use of quality seeds and an improvement in the seed replacement rate, he added. PTI