First Indian GMO food crop, mustard, passes regulatory hurdle

[Genetically-modified mustard] “does not raise any public health or safety concerns on human beings and animals with respect to overall nutritional characteristics,” the panel [of scientists] said in a document posted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s website. It is highly unlikely to invade natural ecosystems and poses negligible risk to biodiversity and agriculture productivity, it said. . . .

The approval . . . puts genetically-modified mustard a step closer to gaining state approval. . . . The engineered mustard will increase production of India’s biggest winter-sown oilseed crop and reduce dependence on imported oil, said Chengal Reddy, adviser to the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association.

“Making genetically-modified mustard seed available to Indian farmers will have an enormous economic benefit, increasing substantially farmers’ income by as much as 50 percent,” Reddy said by phone. . . .

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The report from the panel will be on the environment ministry’s website for comments by . . . for a period of 30 days, according to the ministry. Comments will be reviewed. . . and the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee before a decision is made, it said.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: India’s First GM Food Crop Inches Closer to State Approval