Govt moves closer to allow field trials for GM crops in India

NEW DELHI: Even as the final call on fate of genetically modified (GM) food crops in India will be taken by the Supreme Court, the government on Wednesday made its intention clear by announcing that it does not have any reservation against transgenic crop if it passes the test of field trials under strict "crop-specific dedicated monitoring protocols system". 


Government's stand over GM crops was articulated by the Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar here at a 'National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign' which among other things also took stock of the country's contingency plan to deal with eventuality of poor Monsoon under recently predicted El Nino conditions. 


The minister also made it clear that the scientific "field trial" of transgenic crops would be allowed in coming months, indicating that the Genetics Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) - the regulatory body for genetically engineered crops - will resume meeting for this purpose soon ending a two-year long break on decision-making process.