{"id":54340,"date":"2020-01-28T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T11:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54340"},"modified":"2020-02-26T16:48:02","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T11:18:02","slug":"7-pm-a-case-of-wholehearted-biotechnology-adoption-on-gm-crop28th-january-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/7-pm-a-case-of-wholehearted-biotechnology-adoption-on-gm-crop28th-january-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"7 PM |A case of wholehearted biotechnology adoption: On GM crop|28th January 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Context:\n<\/strong>Bt\nCotton in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More\nin news:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Hundreds of farmers gathered in Hiwri\nvillage of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra on January 5, 2020 in their attempt\nto prove the unapproved variety of cotton (HTBt) gave higher yields at a more\nreasonable cost as compared to the approved [insect-resistant] variety (Bt\ncotton).<\/li><li>The Supreme Court on January 6th issued\na notice in the matter of illegal planting of non-approved Genetically Modified\n(GM) crops (Bt. Brinjal, HT. Bt. Cotton, etc) by Shetkari Sangathan, a union of\nfarmers, and others.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cotton\nin India:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Cotton is an immensely important crop\nfor the sustainable economy of India and livelihood of the Indian cotton\nfarming community. <\/li><li>It is cultivated in about 312 lakh\nhectares across the world and in around 117 lakh hectares in the country. Thus,\nIndia accounts for around 37.5% of the global cotton area and contributes to\n26% (i.e 6.20 Million MT) of the global cotton produce of 23.92 Million MT. <\/li><li>Cotton continues to enjoy a pre-eminent\nand the most favoured fibre status among the Indian textile mills, as the major\nraw material for the textile industry.<\/li><li>India is also the only country in the\nworld that grows not only the four cultivated species of cotton but also their\nintra-and-inter-specific hybrids on a commercial scale. <\/li><li>The textile industry, which consumes the\ncotton, as its principal raw material, contributes about 4% to the GDP and is\nthe major exchange earner for the country. <\/li><li>Hence, growth and development of cotton\nand cotton based textile industry has a vital bearing on the overall\ndevelopment of the Indian economy.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bt\nCotton:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"259\" height=\"283\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2-5.jpg?resize=259%2C283&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Text Box: Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO):\n\u2022\tGenetically Modified Organisms, are the ones in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in such a way as to get the required quality.\n\u2022\tThe technology is often called \u2018gene technology\u2019, or \u2018recombinant DNA technology\u2019 or \u2018genetic engineering\u2019 and the resulting organism is said to be \u2018genetically modified\u2019, \u2018genetically engineered\u2019 or \u2018transgenic\u2019.\n\n\" class=\"wp-image-54346\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Bt cotton is a genetically modified\norganism (GMO) cotton variety, which produces an insecticide to bollworm. Thus,\nBt cotton is an insect-resistant transgenic crop designed to combat the\nbollworm.<\/li><li>Bt cotton was created by genetically\naltering the cotton genome to express a microbial protein from the\nbacterium&nbsp;Bacillus thuringiensis.<\/li><li>In short, the transgene inserted into\nthe plant&#8217;s genome produces toxin crystals that the plant would not normally\nproduce which, when ingested by a certain population of organisms, dissolves\nthe gut lining, leading to the organism&#8217;s death.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Bt cotton was officially commercialised\nin India in 2002 to control its&nbsp;illegal sale&nbsp;and repel&nbsp;two main\nspecies of bollworms that attack cotton: the American BW (ABW) and the Pink\nBollworm (PBW). The aim was to \u2018protect\u2019 performance, while decreasing the use\nof insecticides.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Process\nof Genetic Engineering:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"466\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/3-4.jpg?resize=466%2C302&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/genetic.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-54347\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>(Ht)Bt\ncotton:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This is the third generation Bt cotton\nvariety where there is an addition of \u2018Cp4-Epsps\u2019 gene from another soil\nbacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which produces a modified protein that\nallows the plant to withstand herbicide glyphosate.<\/li><li>Farmers are not able to spray glyphosate\non normal cotton because the chemical does not distinguish between the crop and\nweed, but the herbicide tolerant Bt (HtBt) cotton remains unaffected by\nglyphosate.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mechanism\nto allow cultivation of GM crops in India:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Genetic Engineering Approval\nCommittee(GEAC) is apex body under Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate\nChange for regulating manufacturing, use, import, export and storage of\nhazardous microorganisms or genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) and cells\nin the country.<\/li><li>GEAC is also responsible for giving\ntechnical approval of proposals relating to release of GMOs and products\nincluding experimental field trials. However, Environment Minister gives final\napproval for GMOs.<\/li><li>The safety aspects of genetically\nmodified crops are assessed by the Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBSCs),\nReview Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) and Genetic Engineering\nAppraisal Committee (GEAC) constituted under Rules 1989 of Environment\nProtection Act (EPA) \u2013 1986 based on Biosafety Guidelines and the Standard\nOperating Procedures<\/li><li>The Government of India follows a policy\nof case-by-case approval of transgenic crops.<\/li><li>As per the guidelines framed by the\nICMR, safety assessment is designed to identify whether a hazard, nutritional\nor other safety concern is present<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Laws\nabout unapproved seeds:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Legally, sale, storage, transportation\nand usage of unapproved GM seeds is&nbsp;a punishable offence under the Rules\nof Environmental Protection Act 1989. <\/li><li>Also, sale of unapproved seeds can\nattract action under&nbsp;the Seed Act of 1966 and the Cotton Act of 1957. <\/li><li>The Environmental Protection Act\nprovides for a jail term of five years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh for violation of\nits provisions, and cases can be filed under the other two Acts.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Views\nagainst Bt Cotton:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Genetically Modified (GM) pest resistant\nBt cotton hybrids have captured the Indian market since their introduction in\n2002. These now cover over 95% of the area under cotton, with the seeds\nproduced entirely by the private sector.&nbsp;<\/li><li>In 2020, India is expected to be the\nworld\u2019s largest cotton producer, surpassing China in output. However, India\u2019s\nproductivity (yield per unit area), is much lower than other major\ncotton-producing countries, meaning a much larger area is used for cotton\nproduction.<\/li><li>India is the only country that grows\ncotton as hybrids and the first to develop hybrid cotton back in 1970. Hybrids\nare made by crossing two parent strains having different genetic characters.\nThese plants have more biomass than both parents, and capacity for greater\nyields. They also require more inputs, including fertilizer and water. Though\nhybrid cotton seed production is expensive, requiring manual crossing, India\u2019s\nlow cost of manual labour make it economically viable.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts\nregarding Bt Cotton in India:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Indian farmers have voted for choice of\nseeds with biotechnologies by planting hybrid cotton biotech seeds on over 90%\nof the country\u2019s cotton acreage.<\/li><li>They choose from over 800 hybrid Bt\ncotton seed brands from over 40 Indian and global seed companies, with five\napproved \u2018in-the-seed\u2019 insect protection Bt cotton technologies and non-Bt\nvarietal cotton seeds. Farmers have not shown any preference for planting\nnon-Bt cotton seeds including the quantity supplied along with the Bt cotton\nseed by seed companies as per regulatory guidelines.<\/li><li>Cotton Corporation of India data show\nthat the highest production of 398 lakh bales of cotton in India was achieved\nin 2013-14, valued at around \u20b972,000 crore. Additional incomes were generated\nfrom cotton seeds oil (1.3 million tons) and cotton seed oilmeal (11 million\ntons) worth \u20b913,000 crore and \u20b922,000 crore, respectively. The Bt cotton seed\nmarket is about \u20b93,000 crore, making it hardly 2.5% of the total value\ngenerated.<\/li><li>Indian farmers who were using varieties\nfor years switched to hybrids in the mid-1980s mainly because of the enormous\nbenefits. Cotton Advisory Board data show that India\u2019s cotton yields which were\nat 169 kg\/hectare in 1980-81 increased to 278 kg\/hectare in 2000-01 and then\n542 kg\/ hectare in 2016-17.<\/li><li>India produces hybrid cotton seed\nbecause of the availability of labour to carry out the hand pollination at\nreasonable cost.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Way\nforward:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The solution is planting rainfed short\nseason high density (SS-HD) cotton as developed at CICR, Nagpur, and other\ninstitutions \u2014 cotton that could double yields, avoid pink bollworm\ninfestations and hence reduce insecticide use and obviate the need for Bt\ntechnology.<\/li><li>Further, in the era of globalization\nwhere indigenous varieties has become a tradition, witnessed in the ever\nincreasing demand of muslin cloth, indigenous varieties should be promoted.\nAlso, infrastructure should also be promoted for local weaving and spinning,\nalong with creating demand through e-commerce.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without doubt\nBt-cotton in India provided a lot of impetus to the Indian textile sector thus\ncreating a lot of employment around, but the gains made were short term in\nnature, manifested in the recent upheaval in our agriculture sector. Now, it\u2019s\ntime to move over to a better and equitable upgrade to Bt-cotton and perhaps\nresort back to indigenously grown cotton which would create equity for farmers\nand sustainability to environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:\n<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/a-case-of-wholehearted-biotechnology-adoption\/article30668962.ece\">https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/a-case-of-wholehearted-biotechnology-adoption\/article30668962.ece<\/a><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Context: Bt Cotton in India. More in news: Hundreds of farmers gathered in Hiwri village of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra on January 5, 2020 in their attempt to prove the unapproved variety of cotton (HTBt) gave higher yields at a more reasonable cost as compared to the approved [insect-resistant] variety (Bt cotton). The Supreme Court&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/7-pm-a-case-of-wholehearted-biotechnology-adoption-on-gm-crop28th-january-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">7 PM |A case of wholehearted biotechnology adoption: On GM crop|28th January 2020<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,955],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-pm","category-7-pm-brief-infograph","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":222,"cached_at":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54340\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}