while a number of other transgenic crops, including some
genetically modified (GM) food crops are in the pipeline for approval,
India has so far approved a single transgenic crop, Bt cotton for
commercial cultivation.
According to the latest ISAAA report,
adaptation of Bt cotton in India has recorded a 125-fold increase in
the past six years since the first cultivation in 2002 as against the
global increase for all GM crop cultivation in 12 years.
ISAAA co-chair CD Mayee said : "Bt cotton
cultivation helped India to increase its production and today India is
the second largest cotton producer, next to China. India has now become
net exporter of cotton."
He, however, did not explain the reasons behind farmers` suicides in Maharashtra`s cotton belt- Vidharbha.
The ISAAA 2007 report says that the approval
and adaptation of Bt cotton by the two most populous countries in the
world, India (1.1 billion people) and China (1.3 billion people) can
greatly influence the approval, adoption and acceptance of biotech
crops in other countries.
According to the report in 2007, global
biotech crop area increased by 12 per cent to reach 114.3 million
hectare, the second highest area increase in the past five years.
News transgenic crops were also added to the list as China reported plantation of 250,000 biotech poplar trees.
Two countries, namely, Chile and Poland
began cultivating GM crops, raising the number of biotech countries to
23 - number of developing countries (12) being more than the industrial
countries (11).
The ISAAA Chair, Clive James said :"biotech
crops has the potentiality to play a role in food, feed and fibre
security, contributing to poverty alleviation and hunger, reducing
environmental footprints in agriculture, mitigating climate change and
contributing to cost-effective bio-fuels."
When pointed out that the exporters would
face problems as European Union, Russia and other countries would not
accept Indian assignments citing genetic contamination of food, Clive
said : "Russia is soon likely to allow cultivation of GM potato and the
European Union will also follow suit by approving GM food crops."
The ISAAA report was funded by the US based
Rockefeller Foundation, Spain`s Ibercaja Bank based in the Bt maize
growing are in the country and Italy`s Fundazione Bussolera Branca.
The report contains a section -...
Political support for Bt cotton in India - in which
favourable quotes of the President, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Prime
Minister, Manmohan Singh, Union finance minister, P Chidambaram and
Union agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar were incorporated.
It also contained a few experiences of
select farmers across the world. The report also has references and
quotes of political leaders from different countries.
Usually the ISAAA annual report is released by mid-January. This year it was, however, delayed by a month.
The ISAAA chair, Clive James came to India twice in succession to release 2006 and 2007 reports respectively.
The ISAAA co-chair, CD Mayee welcomed the
Supreme Court`s decision of February 13, 2008 that lifted the ban on
field trials of new GM crops
He expressed the hope that adequate policy approach would create more enabling environment for GM crops and biotech industry.
The ISAAA report has predicted that in the
next biotech decade 2006-15, strong growth is expected in Asia led by
India, China and new countries like Vietnam and Brazil would lead the
Latin American countries.
Growth in biotechnology would continue in
US, Canada and Australia through programmes like stacking of genes and
expanded range of GM crops featuring agronomic, quality and other
traits like drought resistance within three years, the report says.
It also says that In Africa, the number of
biotech countries would increase modestly, led by Egypt, Burikina Fasco
and Kenya. There would be a slow to modest growth in European Union,
with potential in eastern Europe.
The use of biotech crops for bio-fuel led by US and Brazil and other countries would be a major new development....
© 2008: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
