The following is an excerpt.
India is at the crossroads as far as the use of genetically engineered crops in agriculture is concerned. With its population more than doubling in the sixty years since it achieved independence, there seems to be a compelling need for the country to find alternate ways to feed its 1.2 billion people.
India’s current food sufficiency was only made possible because of the ‘Green Revolution’ of the 1960s. The introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds and the use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation provided a much-needed increase in food production levels and a decline in dependence on imports. However, in the last few decades, the overuse of pesticides and insecticides has led to increasing health hazards and depletion of overall soil quality. While some experts believe that the way forward for India is to take organic farming seriously, others argue that GM crops will lead to a second agricultural revolution in the country.
Share this article
View the original article here: India and GM Crops: Time for a Second Green Revolution?
