Botanists say that pests and insects may grow resistant to the transgenic crop after a decade or so, triggering the need for newer versions of the seeds
On October 25, Deepak Pental’s application for environmental release of a transgenic mustard hybrid, which he developed in 2002, was approved by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
This means that the genetically modified (GM) mustard, named Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH-11), can be grown in open fields for trials, demonstrations and for seeds — before it is approved for commercial cultivation.
On October 31, Trilochan Mohapatra (president of NASS, and RS Paroda, chairperson of TASS) told the media that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) would conduct the field trials in the next 10-15 days in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh at 100 locations to verify the yield.
On November 2, a group of farmers, researchers and activists, assembled under the Coalition for a GM-Free India, and moved the Supreme Court after which ICAR decided to put the field trial on hold.
Why is the government pushing for GM Mustard? Mustard contributes 40 per cent of total edible oils production in India. By 2025-26 India will need 34 million tonnes of edible oils, which will put a significant pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
Today, mustard is grown in 8 million hectares, with 1-1.3 tonnes yield per hectare. The government claims that transgenic seeds could potentially raise the yields to 3-3.5 tonnes per hectare while being resistant to pests that cause white rust.
The DMH-11 plant is self-pollinating. This means that genetic manipulation prevents problems faced in cross breeding and directly changes the genetic makeup of a plant.
However, DMH-11 has been opposed by the Coalition for a GM-Free India because of the introduction of foreign genetic materials in the crop.
What is the issue with genetic modification? According to Kavitha Kuruganti the government agencies have ignored the effect of GM mustard on honey bees and other pollinators and have bypassed bio-safety protocols.
Earlier, farmers used to rely on sunflower, cotton, sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), corn, sesame, pigeon pea (tur) and chana crops for rearing honeybees and used to harvest honey for eight months in a year.
Farmers claim that GM mustard will cause further drop in honey production. When Bt Cotton was introduced, during the initial years, honey was harvested twice in a season. Over the years, the flowers stopped yielding nectar.
Mustard honey crystallises quickly and makes exporting to the US and EU feasible. But these countries also demand GM-free certification.
Almost half of the 150, 000 tonnes of honey produced in India is exported under non-GMO verification programmes. The future of apiculture export will be threatened if GM mustard receives commercial approval, according to honey exporters.
What are scientists fearing? Botanists say that pests and insects may grow resistant to the transgenic crop after a decade or so, triggering the need for newer versions of the seeds.
Additionally, honeybees could transfer the genes of GM mustard to other plants which may lead to horizontal and undesirable gene transfer among plants causing the growth of unwanted and invasive weeds.
Apart from White Rust, the mustard crop is also prone to other diseases. On October 31, the government claimed that GM mustard is not released as a herbicide tolerant crop. But the herbicide under question, glufosanite ammonium will be sprayed on the final hybrid seed formed.
The difference between a transgenic or GM and a hybrid plant is that while the former contains external DNA the latter only contains DNA from both parents via fertilisation.
DMH-11 is a transgenic hybrid crop. When glufosanite ammonium is sprayed, if the progeny is GM and hybrid, it will survive. However, if the hybrid is not successfully formed, the seed will die due to the herbicides.
Either way, this dangerous herbicide will enter the food system and its health impacts on human health and the natural ecosystem are not yet fully deciphered. There are also no long-term studies in Indian context on the metabolic impact of barstar and barnase genes on the human and animal body.
Do we really need GM Mustard in India? The yield of any crop depends on its genotype, environment and management, with the latter playing around 80 per cent of the role.
According to ICAR, DMH-11 will have an average yield advantage of 28 per cent over its parent, Varuna. Comparing GM mustard with other high yielding varieties will reveal its poor performance.
In 2020, bio-safety research field trials of two transgenic varieties of indigenously developed Bt brinjal were allowed by 2023 in eight states. In September 2022, the government cleared a proposal to conduct confined field trials of herbicide-tolerant GM cotton and maize seeds at two agricultural sciences universities in Karnataka.
We are yet to see concrete measures taken to establish the long-term safety and profitability of transgenic varieties.
Read more:
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.