The trade discussions between India and the United States have reignited the contentious debate around Genetically Modified (GM) crops. The US has been pressing India to open imports of the GM crops such as corn and soybean. Both are among major crops grown on large areas across India. However, India is resisting, citing that it does not cultivate GM food crops (only Bt cotton is permitted), making competition unfair if imports are allowed while domestic use remains restricted.
What often begins as a negotiation over market access and global competitiveness quickly spills into questions of food safety, farmer livelihoods, and national self-reliance. But to view GM crops only through the lens of trade diplomacy is to miss the bigger picture.
The controversy is really a mirror to India’s larger agricultural challenge of how to balance science, policy, and farmer welfare in building an Atmabirbhar Bharat. Whether the subject is GM seeds, crop protection solutions, or biologicals, the real issue is ensuring that Indian farmers are not left behind in accessing safe, modern, and globally benchmarked innovations.
India has come a long way since the Green Revolution, achieving food sufficiency and emerging as one of the world’s largest producers of cereals, fruits, and vegetables. But the challenges of the 21st century are more complex. With limited arable land, degraded soils, increasing pest resistance, and climate variability, the margin for error is shrinking.
If India is to secure food and nutritional security and safety for its 1.4 billion citizens while keeping farming profitable, productivity must rise substantially. This cannot be achieved by seeds alone. High-quality crop protection solutions, chemical and biological are indispensable in protecting the harvest. Farmers lose an estimated 20–40% of crops annually due to pests, diseases, and weeds. Science-based policies that accelerate the availability of safe, effective, and sustainable crop protection solutions are the need of the hour.
Here, India can learn from global examples. Brazil, for instance, rapidly increased agricultural productivity over the past two decades by adopting a science-based approach to both biotechnology and crop protection. Its regulatory system evolved to provide faster approvals, enabling farmers to access innovations at par with global peers.
Similarly, China has significantly boosted domestic manufacturing and R&D in crop protection, while ensuring farmers have timely access to new technologies. These examples show that when policy is aligned with science, agriculture becomes both more resilient and globally competitive.
India’s regulatory framework is robust but requires a push. Lengthy approval timelines for crop protection products, including biologicals, delay innovation and force farmers to rely on older solutions even as pest dynamics change. To empower farmers, we must liberalise policies while strengthening safety protocols.
This means streamlining the approval process, reducing redundancies, harmonising with global standards, and providing predictable pathways for innovators. Liberalisation here does not mean lowering safeguards; it means designing a transparent, more efficient, and science-driven system that supports innovation while maintaining the highest standards of safety for farmers, consumers, and the environment.
The government’s farmer-first approach deserves applause. Schemes that stabilise prices, expand access to credit, and provide crop insurance demonstrate a clear intent to safeguard farmer welfare. The next step is to complement these initiatives with science-led innovations. Indian farmers have shown time and again that they are quick to adopt technology when they see value—whether it is hybrid seeds, drip irrigation, or digital tools. If policies make modern crop protection solutions and biologicals more accessible, farmers will embrace them, leading to higher incomes and more resilient farming systems.
At the same time, India must focus on building self-reliance in crop protection. A strategy to strengthen domestic capabilities is crucial. This includes promoting science-based policies to incentivise local R&D and manufacturing, encouraging global companies to “Make in India,” and promoting collaboration between academia, start-ups, and industry to develop solutions suited to India’s diverse agro-climatic zones.
Global experiences show that such ecosystem approaches not only enhance self-sufficiency but also make a country an exporter of technology and know-how. India, with its strong scientific base and entrepreneurial talent, is well-positioned to achieve this.
As we chart the future, the GM debate should not be seen in isolation. It is part of a larger roadmap that includes crop protection, biologicals, and science-based regulations. By embracing an integrated strategy, India can simultaneously achieve productivity growth, environmental sustainability, and farmer prosperity.
The real question is not whether we need science in agriculture, but how quickly and effectively we can align our policies to harness it. A science based policy regime is important for making available new technologies in the hands of farmers.
By creating an enabling policy environment, accelerating innovation, and retaining the farmer-first focus, we can transform our agriculture sector into one that is not only self-reliant but also globally competitive. Building Atmanirbhar Bharat in crop protection will reduce import, ensuring that our farmers have the tools they need to succeed.
The author is Country Head & Managing Director, Syngenta India. Views expressed in the article are personal.