INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: In a move that could pave the way for farmers to grow genetically modified (GM) mustard in the country, the Centre on Tuesday
sought to withdraw the oral undertaking given to the Supreme Court last year that it would maintain status quo and would not initiate
commercial cultivation of GM mustard without the court's approval.In a fresh application filed before the top court, the government
contended that the oral undertaking was given on November 3 as the final hearing in the case was supposed to begin soon which did not take
place and the case was still pending in court."Indigenous development of transgenic varieties through the male sterility or restorer system
is a critical element in ensuring India's future food security as this technology will be utilised to produce new hybrids with higher yields
in future, thereby increasing agricultural output and farmer income
The huge policy implications involved deserve early resolution
In the meanwhile, the process sanctioned under the conditional approval dated October 2022 must continue and arrive at its conclusions," the
application said in what potentially marked the government's determination to defy the resistance to rollout of genetically modified crops
by activists and others.If the court agrees to the Centre's point, the process to allow commercial cultivation of GM mustard will get
fast-tracked as the central biotech regulator, Genetically Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), has already given its conditional nod for
"environmental release" of transgenic mustard (DMH-11) for seed production and testing
If allowed, GM mustard will be the second transgenic crop after Bt cotton to be cultivated in India.Once seeds are produced in adequate
quantity during the upcoming season, farmers will be able to cultivate GM mustard commercially as early as from next season in 2024
The Centre said in its application, "The second growing season under the conditional approval granted by the government of India is also
approaching in the months of September and October of 2023
Therefore, this court may consider discharging the Union of India from the oral statement made on November 3 which was made in a specific
context for a limited purpose at the relevant time as explained."As the application was filed on Monday and was not served to the opposite
parties which sought one week's time to respond, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan deferred the hearing.Observing that
literacy and awareness levels among Indian farmers were not at the level of their counterparts in western countries, the SC had said in
January that all precautionary measures must be taken before allowing cultivation of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant mustard crop
and asked the Centre whether there was any "compelling reason" to permit it now.The attorney general had replied, "It is not a question of
compulsion but the process
If there is nothing problematic in the whole process which took 10-12 years, then there is nothing wrong in the decision taken by the
