GM crops

Story hook

On 26 March 2002, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change clears three Bt cotton hybrids from Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech (MMB) — MECH-12, MECH-162, MECH-184. India becomes the world's fourth-largest Bt cotton adopter. By 2003-04, Bt cotton occupies ~50,000 hectares; by 2014-15, ~95% of India's 12 million hectares of cotton. India's cotton production triples from 130 lakh bales (1999-2000) to 398 lakh bales (2013-14). Cotton exports surge to $7.5 billion. Pesticide use on cotton drops 65%.

Six years later on 14 October 2009, the same GEAC recommends commercialisation of Bt Brinjal developed by Mahyco + UAS Dharwad + TNAU Coimbatore. Twelve days later, 17 states (including all brinjal-major states) write to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh opposing. After seven public consultations across India, Ramesh on 9 February 2010 imposes an indefinite moratorium. India becomes the first country to halt a fully-approved GM food crop at the consumer-safety stage. The case is still unresolved.

Then on 25 October 2022, the GEAC clears the environmental release of GM Mustard (DMH-11) — developed by Dr Deepak Pental at the University of Delhi with public funding. This time the Supreme Court intervenes; a divided bench in July 2024 asks the Centre to develop a national GM policy before any commercial release.

GM technology promises higher yields + lower pesticide use + climate-resilient varieties. It also raises consumer-safety, ecological, and farmer-dependency concerns. Few topics in Indian agriculture are as politically charged.

Why this matters for UPSC

GS-III tests biotechnology in agriculture, GEAC's role, Bt cotton history + farmer suicides debate, Bt Brinjal moratorium, GM Mustard DMH-11 case, regulatory architecture (Environment Protection Act + Rules 1989), and global comparison. Prelims has tested GEAC composition (2017), Bt cotton (2018), GM Mustard (2023), and Cartagena Protocol (2017). Mains regularly asks for evaluation of GM policy.