Viewpoint: Indian government’s anti-GMO policies trying to fix something that isn’t broken

India B
Image source: Thrakika Ekkokistiria SA

The cotton revolution in India, through the use of genetically modified (GM) BT cotton, has been well researched and documented. Even then, a repeat of its success story is in order. Ever since the introduction of Bollgard 1 in 2002 and Bollgard II in 2006, the area under cotton cultivation with GM strains nearly peaked to 11.6 million hectares or 95% of total cotton acreage by 2014.

Higher productivity was not the only plus factor in the return to good times, but it also coincided with the lower use of fertilisers, weedicides and pesticides in the last one to two decades.

Yet, that success story may be short-lived because of two policy measures initiated by the recent government. These include the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order of December 2015 and the Licensing and Agreements for GM Technology Assessment Guidelines of May 2016, which will not only regulate the price of cotton seeds—maximum selling price or MSP—and related technologies across India, but also put a cap on input costs like seed value and trait value….

[T]he recent order and the draft guidelines together not only has the potential to scare away big biotechnology firms, but also goes against the government’s declared policy of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” or even its long-term plan of making India an innovation hub for the world.

Read full, original post: Who is afraid of GM cotton?

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