ICAR addresses GM mustard antagonists

ICAR has initiated a network project on All India Coordinated Research Project on Biotech crops which has both research and third-party evaluation components for the targeted traits

Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR issued a detailed statement on various issues of GM mustard, saying that the recent approval for environmental release of Genetically Modified (GM) mustard DMH 11 and its parental lines by GEAC, has attracted the attention of press and public at large.

There are many myths that are being propagated in relation to DMH 11 approval by the opponents of GM. All the National agencies and public research systems with expertise in the areas of agriculture, health including modern and ayurvedic science, environment & ecology are officially and formally involved in the risk assessment of the product for its being safe to humans, animals and environment.

This Statement is therefore being issued in public interest to clarify that any opinion or article published on the subject by anyone not authorized or former employees of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) different from the stated documentations and decisions made by the regulatory authorities functioning under the EPA (1986) are not endorsed by the Council and are subjectable to any administrative procedures required in public interest.

GM technology is a disruptive technology capable of bringing any targeted change with in the crop variety to overcome a problem that is difficult or impossible to achieve that are also safe to humans, animals and environment. Thus, the GM technology has imminent potential for the much-needed revolution in Indian agriculture. It is important to look at the current scenario particularly in relation to domestic production, requirement and import of edible oils in the country.

Atamnirbharata in edible oil- The need of the hour:

India’s import of edible oils is on continuous rise to meet the domestic demand. During 2021-22, we spent Rs.1,56,800 crore on import of 14.1 million tonnes of edible oils consisting of mainly palm, soybean, sunflower and canola oils, which is equivalent to two-thirds of India’s total edible oil consumption of 21 mt. Therefore, self-sufficiency in edible oil is essentially required to reduce the forex drain on agri-import.

Shortfall in domestic production and challenges:

Productivity of oilseed crops viz., soybean, rapeseed mustard, groundnut, sesame, sunflower, safflower, niger and linseed in India is much lower than the global productivity of these crops. During 2020-21, India had total area of 28.8 million hectares (ha) under oilseed crops with total production of 35.9 million tonnes and productivity of 1254kg/ha, which is way lower than the global average. Edible oil recovery of8 mt from 35.9 mt of total oilseeds hardly meets even 35-40 per cent of the total edible oil requirement pegged at 21 mt per annum (mtpa). The situation will worsen in the future as the demand for cooking oil has been increasing year-on-year, with projected demand at 29.05 mt by 2029-30.

Rapeseed-mustard is an important oilseed crop in India grown on 9.17 million ha with total production of 11.75 million tons (2021-22). However, this crop suffers from low productivity (1281 Kg/ha) compared to global average (2000 kg/ha) Disruptive technological breakthrough is needed for enhancing productivity of oilseed crops in general and Indian mustard in particular in the country.

Bright future Ahead:

ICAR institutions and universities are deeply engaged in development of GM crops for different traits such as biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, yield and quality improvement in 13 crops viz., Cotton, Papaya, Brinjal, Banana, Chickpea, Pigeonpea, Potato, Sorghum, Brassica, Rice, Flax, Wheat and Sugarcane involving 11 Institutions through its “Network Project on Functional Genomics and Genome Modification” since 2006.

Further, to take the leads obtained from earlier project forward, ICAR has initiated a network project on All India Coordinated Research Project on Biotech crops which has both research and third-party evaluation components for the targeted traits as well as biosafety studies of six crops during 2021-26 plan period with a total budget outlay of Rs. 24.75 crores. Therefore, it is high time and purely in public interest for the welfare if farmers and consumers of India that the positivity created in minds of both experienced and young budding scientists about the research in the area of transgenic development by this landmark decision of the Govt, to approve GM mustard is taken to logical conclusion.

ICAR has initiated a network project on