Govt to 'go ahead' with field trial of GM mustard & defend it in SC
New Delhi: Despite a strong opposition of environmental clearance to GM mustard by Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, which is an affiliate of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and other activists, the government has 'decided' to go ahead with the field trial of the transgenic crop and make India self-reliant in oilseed production.
According to a senior official in the Environment Ministry, the government has decided to provide all the needed support to the scientist community to take forward the GM mustard field trail and defend the matter in court as well.
"It's a matter of kisan, vigyan and anusandhan (farmer, science and research) and they (scientists) know it better than anyone else. So when they are satisfied with the findings of the research, the government would support them in taking it forward as India is highly dependent on other countries to meet the domestic needs of edible oil," the official said, adding that the government has always promoted inclusion of biotechnology in agriculture to enhance farmers' income.
The scientists of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), a research organization of Union Agriculture Ministry, have been tasked to conduct field trials of GM mustard in their own fields and submit a detailed report on the impact of edible oil extracted from GM mustard on human lives. The decision over commercial cultivation of GM mustard would be taken on the basis of the ICAR report.
On the PIL filed in the Supreme Court against the field trial, the official said, "The top court has allowed both – the petitioner and respondent (the government) – to submit additional documents in support of their claims. In its order, the apex court has also asked both the parties to submit short notes on their proposed submissions before the matter is taken up on November 10. The scientists have substantial findings to defend their claims."
As per experts, the GEAC's approval for GM mustard is an encouraging signal when India's spending on edible oil import has increased to Rs 68,200 crore in 2020-21 from Rs 29,900 crore in 2020-21. The area of mustard cultivation has increased from 2.88 million hectares (mha) in 1960-61 to 6.69 mha in 2020-21.
The states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Assam are the major mustard growing states that account for about 95 per cent of India's total area under mustard cultivation.(UTs) to frame schemes for providing free dry rations to them till the pandemic lasts, while the Centre will have to allocate additional foodgrains.
