The Hindu Business Line : Regulate Bt crops strictly

IT MAY NOT exactly be a revolution in the strict sense of the term, but 10 years of commercial cultivation of genetically-modified crops has, without doubt, brought about notable changes in agriculture worldwide. Rising output, declining crop losses and fewer pesticide sprays are some of the positive outcomes of the new technology. Despite initial hesitation, more countries have today adopted cutting-edge technology in crop production, with Bt crops spread across 90 million hectares, 21 countries and seven crops. The expanding global biotech crop market was an estimated $5.25 billion in 2005. Although developing economies are fast embracing the agri-biotech crops, developed countries still account for a substantial share of the land used to grow them.

GM crop varieties — resistant to drought, waterlogging, soil acidity, salinity and extreme temperatures — could help sustain farming in marginal areas and restore degraded lands. Pest-resistant varieties can reduce the need for chemical pesticides. If the direction of research is any indication, beyond food, feed and fibre, novel products with therapeutic or health properties are likely to emerge in the foreseeable future, including pharmaceuticals, oral vaccines, specialty and fine chemicals, and use of renewable crop resources to replace fossil fuel. However, the spread of GM crops is geographically limited. The top five countries account for over 80 per cent of the total biotech area, while soyabean (60 per cent), corn or maize (24 per cent) and cotton (11 per cent) account for 95 per cent of the crops. All the three commercially grown GM crops are either non-food (cotton, for fibre) crops or are heavily used in animal feed (soyabean, corn). In 2005, India had by far the largest year-on-year proportional increase, with an almost three-fold increase, from five lakh hectares in 2004 to 13 lakh hectares, exclusively in just one GM crop — cotton. Bt cotton, it seems, is here to stay.

Though biotechnology offers promise as a means of improving food security and reducing pressures on the environment, its applications are associated with potential risks. The risks and benefits may vary substantially from one product to the next and are often perceived differently in different countries. The perceived environmental threats from the technology need to be addressed urgently. To reap the full potential of biotechnology, appropriate policies must be developed in India to ensure that the potential risks are accurately diagnosed and, where necessary, avoided. So far, the progress in commercialisation of GM crops is restricted to one. More crops will, inevitably, follow.

As the technology touches the lives not only of a large number of farmers but also consumers, it is necessary to design a regulatory regime that seeks to address the concerns of all stakeholders who have a right to information on the manner and rationale of government approval. The widely-held notion of a lack of transparency in decision-making by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee and similar bodies needs to be dispelled. The key is to put relevant information in public domain. Once a transparent decision is taken, the policymakers must ensure its unhindered implementation.