Apex regulatory body approves GM Mustard cultivation

In a decision that can have far-reaching impact on food crops in India, the country's apex regulator of genetically modified (GM) organisms and foods on Thursday recommended commercial cultivation of GM Mustard crop.

The regulator, Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), gave its nod for the food crop with certain conditions after they deliberated on it for a nearly two hours, ministry officials said. The environment ministry will now have to take a final call on the issue.

"We have recommended it to the ministry with certain conditions. During the meeting, we scrutinised the report of a sub-committee, that was constituted to study objections and suggestions from the public on the crop's bio-safety and health concerns," said Amita Prasad, additional secretary, environment and forest ministry. According to ministry officials, the GM Mustard crop application was taken up eight times during GEAC meetings after its submission in 2015.

GM Mustard is the first food crop to be cleared for commercial cultivation by GEAC since Bt Brinjal under Jairam Ramesh's tenure as environment minister. But, following countrywide protests and consultations, Ramesh had put a moratorium on its cultivation which is still in place.

The GM Mustard crop has been promoted as an indigenous variety, developed by Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants. The research on the transgenic crop was headed by Dr.Deepak Pental, director of the Centre and former vice-chancellor of Delhi University. The commercial name of the crop is Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH-11) and it has been developed with funding from Department of Biotechnology and National Dairy Development Board. Pental has claimed that the GM Mustard crop will lead to a 20 per cent to 25 per cent rise in yield. Pental could not be contacted for comment.

The crop's clearance comes in the face of intense opposition by anti-GM campaigners, RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch and even former government crop scientists. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, too, had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, seeking state-wide consultations and requested him to not release it for cultivation in haste.

In September last year, following protests against environment ministry's opaque conduct on the issue and a notice from Central Information Commission, on releasing the safety assessment report on the crop, the ministry released the report. It invited public comments on the report and also tasked a sub-committee of the GEAC to scrutinise public objections along with the bio-safety concerns. Around 700 objections and comments were sent to the GEAC of which 400 were scientific in nature, as per ministry officials. "Based on public objections and views of GEAC members, we have imposed specific conditions while recommending the crop's release," Prasad added.

Commenting on the decision, Ashwani Mahajan of Swadeshi Jagran Manch said, "The health and environmental impacts of GM foods have not been addressed adequately. They have claimed that this crop will improve yield and reduce dependence on oilseeds import, but scientific studies have shown that non-GM indigenous varieties of the crop are better than the GM variety. We will continue opposing this crop and write to the environment minister and even the Prime Minister if necessary."

Sarson Satyagraha, a broad coalition of farm organizations and anti-GM campaigners said in a statement, " GM Mustard it is a hazardous herbicide tolerant food crop which has direct implications for a large number of Indian farmers, agricultural workers and consumers. We have shown over the past several months, through rigorous analysis of available material and how the GM mustard dossier was rigged for favourable results, how it is an unneeded GMO."