Sir — Genetically modified (GM) mustard has been through extensive safety trials. Indian agriculture is in dire need of an increase in yields and it should, therefore, be open to introducing new technologies. GM crops have provoked sharp exchanges in the country before and after Bt cotton without a conclusion. Now a replay is expected with the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee clearing GM mustard for commercial cultivation.
However, despite the known opposition by an RSS-backed think-tank and questions raised about the yield and safety data, the NDA appears to be more open to GM crops than the UPA. Terming the opposition by anti-GM groups as unscientific, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change is trying to clear doubts about the consumption and cultivation of transgenic mustard. The Government’s immediate challenge will be to deal with an ongoing Supreme Court hearing on the veracity of safety tests for mustard.