* Top govt scientist urges PM Modi to take a call on GM
mustard
* Government says evaluating final report on field trials
* Opposition from some groups close to Modi's party remains
* GM mustard, an oilseed, could help reduce import needs
By Krishna N. Das
NEW DELHI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - India's chief scientific
adviser has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decide the
fate of the country's first genetically modified (GM) food crop,
mustard, and a recent meeting suggests authorities may support
commercialisation.
While the path to a commercial launch is fraught with
political opposition, allowing GM crops is critical to Modi's
goal of attaining self sufficiency in edible oils. India spends
more than $10 billion annually on vegetable oil imports and GM
mustard - with yields 38 percent higher than normal varieties -
will give Modi a chance to slash this bill.
The prime minister has already shown he is keen to push for
technology in farming, which sustains more than two-thirds of
India's population, by reversing an effective ban on field
trials of GM food crops soon after taking office in 2014.
Earlier, as the chief minister of Gujarat state, he had backed
the widespread adoption of GM cotton by farmers.
GM mustard is next on the country's radar. Results from
safety tests conducted on the hybrid oilseed crop over the past
decade were submitted to the government in September.
"I am hoping that its commercial launch happens," Deepak
Pental, the main scientist behind the GM oilseed crop, told
Reuters. "And the very fact that the ministry called a meeting
(on Jan. 4) suggests they are serious. Also, if India's top
scientist is writing to the PM then it surely is significant."
In a letter sent to Modi and seen by Reuters, Principal
Scientific Adviser R. Chidambaram said GM food crops were widely
prevalent globally and their use would only rise as changing
weather patterns hit farm output. India already consumes oil
derived from a GM rapeseed grown in Canada.
"India, in my opinion, should not hesitate to be the first
introducer of new advanced technology, after convincing itself,
of course, about its value to the users and the nation, its
economic viability, its safety and environment friendliness,"
Chidambaram wrote in the letter sent in October.
"GM food crops fall into this category."
India's environment and forest ministry that is responsible
for assessing GM crop applications said the 3,100-page mustard
safety report was being evaluated, and that commercialisation
would be preceded by a careful analysis of risks and benefits.
SAFE AND CHEAP
India's GM mustard makes use of three genes already
incorporated in rapeseed hybrids in Canada, the United States
and Australia and extensive biosafety tests have revealed no
cause for concern, Pental said.
Also, oil derived from its seeds does not contain any of the
proteins linked to the three genes used, he added.
While things are moving in the right direction, Pental
acknowledged that overcoming opposition would be difficult.
Grassroots groups associated with Modi's Hindu nationalist
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have opposed GM crops fearing the
reliance on expensive seeds patented by multinationals like
Monsanto (N:MON) MON.N MNSN.NS . Pental, however, said the mustard
project was state-funded so seed prices would be reasonable.
Monsanto launched Bt cotton in India in 2002, selling seeds
directly and licensing local producers. The GM cotton, which
produces its own insecticide, has helped India become a leading
producer and exporter of the fibre. Monsanto is also developing
GM corn varieties.
Prabhakar Kelkar, the national general secretary of the
farmers' body affiliated to BJP's ideological parent, the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said the government should not go
ahead until every seed variety was found to be foolproof.
"We'll make people aware of the ill effects, especially
after pest attacks devastated GM cotton crops recently," said
Kelkar. "But if the government approves then what can we do?"
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Cotton output surges due to GM seeds http://link.reuters.com/xyb24w
India edible oil output, imports http://link.reuters.com/nym35w
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