{"id":39631,"date":"2025-03-22T19:11:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T13:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=39631"},"modified":"2025-03-22T19:11:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T13:41:03","slug":"gm-food-crops-progress-dbt-official","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-03-2025\/gm-food-crops-progress-dbt-official","title":{"rendered":"Progress on GM Food Crops: DBT Official"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>S<\/strong><strong>yllabus: GS3\/S&amp;T, Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Secretary stated that there is \u2018progress\u2019 on Genetically Modified (GM) food crops, acknowledging ongoing research and development.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Genetically Modified (GM) Food Crops<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These are plants whose <strong>genetic material has been artificially modified<\/strong> using biotechnological methods to enhance desirable traits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is done to introduce beneficial traits such as pest resistance, drought tolerance, and higher nutritional content that do not naturally occur in the species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some common modifications include:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pest resistance (e.g., Bt cotton, Bt brinjal)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Herbicide tolerance (e.g., GM soybean)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drought and salinity resistance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nutritional enhancement (e.g., Golden Rice enriched with Vitamin A)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>GM Crops in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bt Cotton<\/strong> is the only commercially cultivated GM crop in India that was introduced in 2002.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other key developments include:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bt Brinjal: <\/strong>Approved in 2010 but banned due to public protests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>GM Mustard (DMH-11): <\/strong>Approved by GEAC in 2022 but <strong>faces legal and environmental concerns.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Golden Rice: <\/strong>Under research but not yet approved for commercial cultivation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2e2e2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"244\" height=\"293\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gm-mustard.png\" alt=\"gm mustard\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-39632\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2e2e2; width:270px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Current State of India\u2019s \u2018Bio Economy\u2019:<\/strong><br>&#8211; According to the<strong> \u2018India Bioeconomy Report 2025\u2019,<\/strong> India&#8217;s Bio-economy has grown 16-fold, from <strong>$10 billion in 2014 to an impressive $165.7 billion in 2024<\/strong>.<br>&#8211; It accounts for <strong>4.25% of India&#8217;s GDP.<\/strong><br>&#8211; It has achieved a <strong>Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.9%<\/strong> over the past four years,<br><strong>Key Sectors in Bio-Economy<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Bio-industrial Segment (enzymes,biofuels, bioplastics):<\/strong> Made up 47% of the bio-economy;<br>&#8211; <strong>Biopharma (medicines, diagnostics):<\/strong> 35%;<br>&#8211; <strong>Bio IT\/Research Services (contract research, clinical trials):<\/strong> 9%,<br>&#8211; <strong>Bio-agriculture:<\/strong> 8.1%.<br><strong>Statewise Contribution<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Maharashtra:<\/strong> 21% ($35 billion)<br>&#8211; <strong>Karnataka:<\/strong> 19% ($32 billion)<br>&#8211; <strong>Telangana: <\/strong>12% ($19 billion).<br><strong>Startups<\/strong><br>&#8211; There were 10,075 biotech-startups in 2024. It is expected to grow to 22,500 by 2030 creating 35 million jobs.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Benefits of GM Crops<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Higher Yields:<\/strong> GM crops can increase productivity, helping in food security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduced Pesticide Use:<\/strong> Crops like Bt Cotton are resistant to pests, reducing pesticide dependence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Resilience:<\/strong> Drought- and salinity-tolerant crops can withstand harsh conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutritional Benefits:<\/strong> Biofortified crops like Golden Rice combat malnutrition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns and Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Environmental Impact:<\/strong> GM crops may affect biodiversity, soil health, and pollinators.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health Risks: <\/strong>Long-term effects on human health remain debated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Farmer Dependency:<\/strong> GM seeds are patented by corporations, increasing dependency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ethical and Religious Concerns:<\/strong> Some communities oppose genetic modification for cultural reasons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Regulatory Framework &amp; Policy in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Genet<\/strong><strong>ic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC):<\/strong> The primary body regulating GM crops.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):<\/strong> Approves GM food imports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environment Protection Act, 1986:<\/strong> Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms (HM) Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, 1989.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-08-2024\/bioe3-policy\"><strong>BioE3 Policy:<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>Use of biotechnology to improve food crops \u2013 as in the case of GM mustard \u2013 is a key <strong>focus of the government\u2019s BioE3 policy.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It involves <strong>manufacturing new kinds of enzymes, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products<\/strong> while applying techniques, including genetic engineering.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Programs like <strong>BioSaarthi <\/strong>are fostering innovation by connecting biotech startups with international mentors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Perspective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While countries like the US, Brazil, and China have adopted GM crops extensively, nations like the EU and India remain cautious.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The debate on GM crops continues, with scientists advocating their potential and activists highlighting risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/there-is-progress-on-gm-food-crops-says-dbt\/article69358776.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Secretary stated that there is \u2018progress\u2019 on Genetically Modified (GM) food crops, acknowledging ongoing research and development.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39631"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39633,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39631\/revisions\/39633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}