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India has ‘narrow’ pool of mustard varieties, say agricultural scientists:
Context:
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) has said that India has a narrow pool of mustard varieties.
What was the earlier argument?
- Critics of GM crops had put forward the argument that India is the centre of origin and diversity of mustard
- It was stated that that India has over 9,000 varieties of mustard
- Supreme Court-appointed Technical Advisory Committee had also recommended a stay on GM mustard citing the breadth of India’s genetic diversity in mustard and that introducing it would lead to “irreversible” contamination.
What does the present report of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) say?
- According to NAAS, scientific analysis has shown that the Indian gene pool of mustard is very narrow.
- It has advocated that there is a need for hybrid technology for developing better mustard varieties.
- The NAAS has also rejected the claims that non-GM varieties of rapeseed in Europe out-yielded GM varieties grown in Canada.
