India-US trade deal and farm produce import

Time of India

5 days ago

As the India–US trade deal is under discussion and there are expectations that the US is trying to push their farm produce to India, the social media is very busy with misleading forwards on GM Corn. There is a need for clarity.
One misconception is that the US is trying to push imports of GM Corn seeds. If the US wants India to import GM Corn or GM Soy, or GM animal feed, it does not mean that they are pushing GM seeds into India. The discussion is about the import of grain and not seed. So, the imaginary fears of high seed prices, royalties, seed system dependence, patents, monopoly and export brand image are irrelevant.
Safety of GM food and feed items to human and animal health is the only subject that needs to be considered. Regulator for GM crops, GEAC under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MOEF), is perfectly capable of assessing the safety of GM Corn, Soy and Animal feeds. The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is capable of formulating suitable guidelines for trade.
GM Corn and GM Soy, introduced in 1996, are being cultivated in 68 m ha (30% of total Corn area) and 105 m ha (50% of total Soy area), respectively, around the world. In the US itself, nearly 330 m tons of GM Corn is produced for domestic consumption and export purposes. GM Corn and GM Soy are being consumed in a large number of countries, including Europe. India's annual consumption of GM cotton oil is 1.1 m tons and the consumption of GM Cotton meal by animals has been 8 m tons for more than 20 years. We consume about 55 thousand tons of imported GM Canola oil annually. There is no reported incidence of health issues linked to the consumption of GM foods in the world in the last 29 years since their introduction.
Multiple agencies like ISAAA and Biofortified have shown in extensive studies and diverse analyses that in all these years of GM cultivation, there have been no reports of adverse health effects on humans or animals, reiterating the substantial equivalence of GM with conventional crops. 1785 studies on GMO safety are available on the informalhealthcase website. The European Union report, based on 130 research projects conducted over 25 years and involving more than 500 independent research groups, concluded that GM crops were as safe as the conventionally bred ones. In its affidavit filed with the Supreme Court in the GM Mustard case, MOEF stated, 'India is already importing and consuming oil derived from GM crops. Opposition to such technology based on unfounded fears of adverse impact is only hurting farmers, consumers and industry'. So, the safety of GM foods should not be a concern for consumers.
The only aspect the Government has to monitor is if there is any negative impact of such imports on the domestic prices of corn and soybeans. We all agree that there should be no adverse impact on the prices realised by our corn and soy farmers. Demand for corn is going up rapidly due to increasing consumption of poultry feed and for the production of bioethanol. According to the Union Agriculture Minister, India produces about 42.28 million tons of Corn now, and it is planned to take this to 86 million tons by 2047. Our corn yields at 3.5 tons/ha are lower than the world average of 5.75 tons/ha. The demand is growing by 8% per annum, outstripping production and is expected to reach more than 86 m tons by 2047. We have to increase yields to be competitive.
If we have to accept the demand to import GM Corn from the US, then we should negotiate for something in return that India wants to export to the US. We can import GM Corn from the US and channelise it exclusively for ethanol production, thereby minimising the impact on local prices of Corn.
We don't have to accept the US demand for the import of Corn. If we have to reject it, let us reject it for the right economic reasons. Not because it is GM.
However, importing GM Corn and benefiting the US farmers would be a great disservice to our own farmers. Ideally, the Government should approve GM Corn and GM Soy cultivation in India through a well-thought-out strategy and regulatory process. If we do not equip our farmers with the latest and best technologies available in the world, we are putting them at a disadvantage compared to other farmers. Unfounded fears propagated by vested interests have already delayed the introduction of modern GM traits in crops for 20 years, causing irreparable damage to the interests of our farmers.
It is time to use scientific facts and counter the malicious social media forwards being propagated by vested interests. Technology deployment policies of the Nation should be decided by progressive governments based on scientific assessment by the regulatory bodies. They can not be decided based on campaigns being run on social media by those whose sworn objective is GM-free India. Governments have to decide what is good for the farmer, the consumer and the environment.
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Views expressed above are the author's own.