Seeds of hope: On GM crops and scientific consent

Source: The post is based on the following articles “Seeds of hope: On GM crops and scientific consent” published in The Hindu on 3^rd November 2022.

“Science can help India regain traditional cooking mediums” published in Livemint on 3^rd November 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country

Relevance: About the benefits and concerns associated with DMH-11.

News: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) last week cleared the DMH-11 or Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 for environmental release. The seed can now be grown in fields for producing more of its kind and is a precursor to it being approved for commercial release.

About India’s oil consumption pattern

Coconut oil is popular in south India, while the western regions like to deep fry in groundnut oil. Mustard oil is used more in the east and north. But for almost 25 years, local oilseed production has fallen short of demand.

None of the traditional, cold-pressed, filtered oils have managed to hold their ground against imported palm, soy and sunflower oil. Almost 70% of demand is now met with imports. India became the world’s largest importer of soybean and sunflower oils.

Due to marketing, traditional favourites like mustard, coconut, groundnut and sesame oil have reduced in their share.

What are the benefits of DMH-11?

Aid in self-sufficiency of edible oil: Self-sufficiency in food has to be a legitimate public-policy concern. At present, Indian kitchens spend $19 billion annually on Indonesian palm, Ukrainian sunflower and Argentinian soybean oil.

Improve health: The most price-conscious segment of the oil market was cornered by palm oil. Getting rid of the 8 million tonnes of imported palm oil could help India lower its ischemic heart disease mortality rate associated with it.

What are the other GM Crops approved in India and rolled back?

In 2009, GEAC cleared Bt Brinjal, a transgenic food crop. But the decision has been overruled by the government due to protest.

What are the concerns associated with the DMH-11?

DMH-11 alone may not be the panacea for India’s edible oil crisis. This is because,

1) The barnase-barstar system, used in DMH-11, is promising but already outdated given that cutting-edge technology such as CRISPR is in popularity, 2) The DMH-11 represents a platform technology that requires seed companies to invest and develop their own hybrids. But, there is uncertainty around regulatory policy regarding seed development in India, 3) Instead of making India’s oilseed economy self-reliant, GMO mustard would render farmers “seriously dependent” on a multinational giants like Bayer AG, which holds the ultimate patent on the technology.

Overall, India’s imbalance of three decades in oil market won’t be fixed in a day. But science can help put traditional oils back on Indian kitchen shelves.