The Third World Network (TWN) and European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) are seeking inclusion of socio-economic considerations in the risk assessment of genetically modified organisms as the Conference of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is meeting here from October 1 to 5. They also want improvements in the existing provisions in the Protocol regarding risk assessment and management. [...] Chairperson of ENSSER Angelika Hilbeck told The Hindu that her organisation would be attending the meeting of Parties as an educator and in that capacity would not be making any interventions. However, it stood for a holistic view to risk assessment. ”Right now it is very narrow. It should be more rigorous.”

India will push against punitive action being taken on countries failing to implement the Cartagena Protocol on bio-safety norms, till they frame domestic laws for the purpose. India has decided to take this stand as several countries are yet to pass laws and develop safe handling mechanisms of genetically modified life forms or Living Modified Organisms (LMOs). India itself has the laws in place.

The genetically-modified crops are a danger to the country's food and nutrition security and claims of GM lobbyists of a yield advantage for GM organisms were unfounded, said international scientists and experts. Crusaders for the cause of conventional crops and cropping patterns in Hyderabad on Thursday preferred statistics that showed that GM seed promoted by five multi-national companies were not the panacea for the population and for farmers. GM crops were not a solution but a distraction from other conventional options, they said, adding that farmers were increasingly bearing the brunt of increased inputs and energy costs. Other challenges include climate change, increased losses from pests, exploding population and scarce water.

Who doesn't like simple stories? Wouldn't it be nice if we could toss out villains and live happily ever after? Unfortunately, this happens only in fairy tales. Critics of Bt cotton technology used by farmers in Maharashtra blame farmers' suicides on the adoption of this technology. More sophisticated critics concede that other factors could be at play, but the guilt of Bt cotton is taken as self-evident even by them. When I visited these villages in early June 2012, I found that these critical stories were the news. Many farmers were puzzled and amazed to be told that their encounter with Bt cotton was ruinous to them. And they were not just big farmers.

Farmers' unions and green activists have strongly opposed the ongoing field trials of genetically modified Bt maize in Haryana, demanding immediate suspension of such trials. Bhartiya Kisan Union on Wednesday threatened to launch a state-wide agitation against the move, claiming that many states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, have already denied permission for such trials. ”We may even destroy such crops,” announced Gurnam Singh, state president of BKU, adding that this is just an attempt of multinational companies to control Indian crops and agricultural operations through the genetically modified seeds and patents.

Genetically modified crops have so far been promoted as the 'breakthrough' technology that will help resolve food insecurity in India. But a group of prominent agricultural scientists, who addressed the media on Monday in Delhi, said that GM crops may not help feed India's booming population. They suggested that India use a mix of ecological farming, supported by conventional breeding and make optimum use of local knowledge and natural resources instead. ”How we grow our crops, what kind of crops will be grown, where and by whom are in fact the critical questions”, said Prof Hans Herren, Co-chair of International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), who was awarded the World Food Prize in 1995.

Genetically modified crops have so far been promoted as the 'breakthrough' technology that will help resolve food insecurity in India. But a group of prominent agricultural scientists, who addressed the media on Monday in Delhi, said that GM crops may not help feed India's booming population. They suggested that India use a mix of ecological farming, supported by conventional breeding and make optimum use of local knowledge and natural resources instead. ”How we grow our crops, what kind of crops will be grown, where and by whom are in fact the critical questions”, said Prof Hans Herren, Co-chair of International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), who was awarded the World Food Prize in 1995.

Understanding the urgent need to control insect-borne diseases in the country, Department of Biotechnology has started working on bringing out a guidance document for transgenic insects. The document will act as a regulatory guideline for conducting any research activities that is aimed at genetic engineering of insects for the purpose of safeguarding public health and well being. Transgenic insects are genetically modified insects which are genetically engineered to reduce and control the risks of transmission of disease that can cause economic as well as social harm to humans. DBT started the work on this project almost six months back, and is currently in the last leg of framing all the required regulatory provisions and hopes to finish the work within a year's time.

Last month, Basudev Acharia, CPM Leader in Lok Sabha and chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, submitted a 500-page report to Parliament supporting an outright ban on field trials of genetically-modified food crops in India. [...] Where does the anti-technology argument lead to - will those opposing GM food crops propose next that modern irrigation be banned and tractors not be used because they are also not ”natural”? What has been equally disconcerting has been the near-total silence of the scientific community on Acharia's one-sided report that reads like a Communist propaganda document, not a reasoned analysis that offers balanced solutions to the incredibly important issues at stake. Though the final policy decisions shall be taken by the Union government, the Committee's output is an important influencer of public opinion on the issue. To that extent, it is very important that its arguments and recommendations should be dissected and analyzed.

Food security has been one of the main agendas of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and also one that the government has been struggling with. There is a strong opinion among policymakers that biotechnology holds a lot of promise in achieving food security and that transgenic crops, especially, are a sustainable way forward. But given the opposition and controversies surrounding Genetically Modified crops and the differences of opinion among stakeholders, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture decided to take on the mammoth task of an objective assessment of the pros and cons of introducing GM crops. We expect the observations in our report to answer the big question on the role of GM crops in achieving food security.