That GM Bogey – Casting away the doubts regarding the GM Mustard DMH-11 | 7th December 2022 | UPSC Daily Editorial Analysis

What's the article about?

• It analyses the ongoing debate over allowing GM mustard (DMH-11).

Relevance:

• GS3: Awareness in the fields of Biotechnology;
• GS3: Environment;
• Prelims

Analysis:

• Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has defended his government’s decision to allow commercial cultivation of the genetically modified (GM) hybrid mustard DMH-11.
• He has cited three main grounds.
• The first is that India is already consuming edible oil imported from countries growing GM oilseeds. The fact is that India imported 14.03 million tonnes (mt) of edible oil worth $19.6 billion during the year ended October 2022. That included 4.17mt of soyabean oil, which is entirely GM. To this, if another 1.3 mt from domestically-cultivated Bt cotton is added, nearly a quarter of the 22.5-23.5 mt edible oil that Indians are now consuming comprises GM.
• Secondly, the approval for GM mustard followed the prescribed regulatory process.
• The third point made by him concerns the need for promoting scientific research. DMH-11 is a product of indigenous technological innovation even if the original barnase, barstar and bar genes were sourced from a multinational. Moreover, the hybridisation platform on which it is based can be used for breeding mustard hybrids giving higher yields than DMH-11 or possessing other traits such as improved oil quality and disease resistance.

Way Forward:

• GM crops have the potential to solve a slew of problems in Indian agriculture. They can also contribute to food security. As a result, we must allow GM crops sooner or later.