Introduce GM oilseed crops in India - Solvent and Extractors Association

The Solvent and Extractors Association of India (SEA), the country's leading body of edible oil manufacturers, importers, and processors, has demanded that genetically modified oilseed crops be introduced in the country. In its pre-budget consultation with the Centre, the organization also advocated for the substitution of grains for oilseeds in northern India. Cotton is now the sole GM crop permitted for production in the nation. The introduction of additional GM crops has long been a desire from numerous farm organizations, but the government has refused to approve field trials of any such crop. According to Atul Chaturvedi, president of SEA, the country's per-acre production of soyabean is low, at 800-1,000 tonnes per hectare. Whereas GM soyabean offers yield as high as 3-4 tonnes per hectare, he added. "Even if the government continues to raise the Minimum Support Price (MSP) on a year-on-year basis, it will not result in significant gains for farmers. Technology will help ...