Context

• Government of India has relaxed the rules for import of crushed and de-oiled GM soya cake (Non-living organism only).
• This decision will positively impact farmers, poultry farmers, and fishermen.

About

• The Ministry of Forest and Climate Change has said that since soya de-oiled cake and crushed cake does not contain any living modified organism, the Ministry has no objection for import of soya cake or meal from the environmental angle.
• Hence, import of soya meal will not be subjected to the Schedule 1 of GEAC import policy approval as it is a non-living organism.
• Anything which is non-food (not consumed by humans) is not within the ambit of the FSSAI Act, 2006, and therefore feed is not regulated by FSSAI.
• Note: India has been importing GM Soya bean oil and also consumes locally produced GM cotton seed oil.
• cotton is the only genetically modified (GM) crop that has been approved for commercial cultivation in 2002.

What are GM crops?

• GM food involves the editing of genes of a crop in such a way that it incorporates beneficial traits from another crop or organism.
• This could mean changing the way the plant grows, or making it resistant to a particular disease.

Advantages of GM crops

• Genetic engineering can improve crop protection.
• Crops with better resistance to pest and diseases can be created.
• The use of herbicides and pesticides can be reduced or even eliminated.
• Farmers can achieve high yield, and thereby get more income.
• Nutritional content can be improved.
• Shelf life of foods can be extended.
• Food with better taste and texture can be achieved.
• Crops can be engineered to withstand extreme weather.

Why is there stiff opposition to GM crops?

• India has one of the strongest regulatory protocols for field trials of GM crops.
• Genetically engineered foods often present unintended side effects.
• Genetic engineering is a new field, and long-term results are unclear. Very little testing has been done on GM food.
• Some crops have been engineered to create their own toxins against pests. This may harm non-targets such as farm animals that ingest them.
• The toxins can also cause allergy and affect digestion in humans.
• Further, GM crops are modified to include antibiotics to kill germs and pests.
• And when we eat them, these antibiotic markers will persist in our body and will render actual antibiotic medications less effective over a period of time, leading to superbug threats.
• This means illnesses will become more difficult to cure.
• Besides health and environmental concerns, activists point to social and economic issues.
• They have voiced serious concern about multinational agribusiness companies taking over farming from the hands of small farmers.
• People in general are wary of GM crops as they are engineered in a lab and do not occur in Nature.

World scenario

• Only 29 countries allow commercial cultivation of GM crops while a similar number also allow their import.
• And most of the 170 million hectares under GM crops are in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, India and China.
• 98% of GM cultivation falls under four main crops: soyabean, maize, cotton and canola.

Way Ahead

• GM Crops can withstand drought, resist pests and raise yields to feed the growing world population.
• But this should be done through a transparent regulatory process that is free of ethical conflicts.
• All this underscores the need for a cautious approach — one that fosters scientific inquiry, allows for scrutiny and is underpinned by regulation.
• Enacting a comprehensive law that covers all aspects of GM crops should be a priority.

GEAC

• GEAC is apex body under Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for regulating manufacturing, use, import, export and storage of hazardous micro-organisms or genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) and cells in the country.
• It is also responsible for giving technical approval of proposals relating to release of GMOs and products including experimental field trials.
• However, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change gives final approval for GMOs.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1748658

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