‘Approval of GM mustard may threaten food security, increase pesticide tolerance’

Subject :Environment

Context-

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), which functions in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, might approve the commercial cultivation of modified mustard.
This would be the first time since 2002 for such approval to grow GM mustard (DMH-11).
The green signal for GM mustard was given by the central government in May 2017 after trials in Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.
However, it remained pending for approval from the environment ministry.
The decision to approve it took a pause after activists and farmer bodies approached the Supreme Court to oppose the move.

GM Mustard (DMH-11)

Mustard is one of India’s most important winter crops sown between mid-October and late November.
It a self-pollinating crop difficult to hybridise naturally as it cross-pollinate.
It is largest edible oil yielding crop of India.
DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11 is genetically modified variety of mustard developed by Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants at Delhi University.
It was Government sponsored project.
But researchers at Delhi University have created hybridised mustard DMH-11 using “barnase / barstar” technology for genetic modification.
It is Herbicide Tolerant (HT) crop.
In February 2016, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GMEC) had allowed the commercial production of another GM crop viz. Mustard DMH-11.

Advantages of GM Mustard-

DMH-11 yields about 30% more than a traditional reference mustard variety.
Help in boosting edible mustard oil production thus, reduce huge import bill for edible oil.
Help to boost government-led scientific researches in Agriculture.
As it is Herbicide Tolerant (HT) crop, the move will also pave the way for pesticide and insecticide tolerant companies.

Concerns regarding GM Mustard

Approval to GM mustard would open a gate to several genetically modified food crops.
Once the GM mustard is approved, other crop varieties such as BT cotton, BT brinjal and HT cotton are in line for the nod for commercial cultivation.
Environmentalists are raising biosafety concern with GM crops as their introduction may adversely affect environment, human and animal health.
As DMH-11 has external gene that makes the plant resistant to herbicide. Thus it will force farmers to use only select brands of agro-chemicals.
Technical expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court in this regard earlier had found that HT crops are completely unsuitable in the Indian context.
The herbicide-resistant crops may adversely impact the manual labourers, for whom weeding provides livelihood.
This move could pose a threat to crop diversity, food security and increase tolerance for use of pesticides.