The popular backlash to genetically modified crops ignores the fact that the ability to add value to agricultural produce is part of our economic history. Not adopting agricultural biotechnology, and risking food shortages in the near future, is an unsustainable proposition.
Agriculture needs to be viewed as a knowledge-based entrepreneurial activity, and biotechnology has enabled genetic advancement of crops, improved soil productivity, and enhanced weed and pest control.
Farmers experience lower production costs and higher yields because weed control is cheaper and fewer losses are sustained from pests. These crops are also safer to handle than those raised on traditional chemical pesticides.
Between 2002 and 2012, Bacillus thuringiensis cotton added $9.4 billion worth of value to farmers in India, cut insecticide use by half, helped double the yield, and turned the country from a cotton importer into a major exporter.
Trends suggest that future decisions on GM crops will be driven by local needs. For example, the water-efficient maize for Africa, coordinated by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in collaboration with the International Centre for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat Center in Mexico, is likely to attract interest in India.
India today requires another green revolution that is based on a low input-high output model, is sustainable and resilient to climate change. The country will have to use the best of science, technology and innovation to meet these challenges. If bans and moratoriums are placed on testing transgenic crops, no scientist will enter the field and public investments, already abysmally low by international standards, will dry out.
Read full, original article: ‘GM’ need not be a dirty word
