Unregulated use of GM: A cautionary tale, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• Over a quarter of India's cultivated cotton area utilizes unapproved genetically modified (GM) hybrids, incorporating herbicide-tolerant (HT) and advanced Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) traits.
• A study found unapproved HT and next-generation Bt genes in over 50% of samples from farmers' fields across 16 districts in Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
• Farmers adopt these unapproved varieties due to high manual weeding costs (₹12,000-15,000 per acre) compared to glyphosate application (₹750-850) and the ineffectiveness of approved Bt cotton against pink bollworm.
• Sales of legal Bt cotton seeds decreased from 59.6 million to 46.3 million packets between 2022-23 and 2025-26, while the unauthorized HT-Bt seed market grew to an estimated 8.2-8.8 million packets.
• The government's policy of blocking commercialization and field trials of GM crops, based on ideological positions, is cited as the reason for this widespread unregulated adoption.

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Detailed Insights:

• The unapproved GM cotton varieties provide tolerance to weed killers like glyphosate and offer protection against a broader range of pests, including the destructive pink bollworm.
• The Vip3A Bt gene, found in unapproved hybrids, is effective against pink bollworm, unlike the Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes present in officially approved Bt cotton.
• Farmers obtain these seeds through illegal channels, bypassing India's established biosafety and regulatory approval system.
• This unregulated market negatively impacts the organized seed industry and prevents farmers from accessing advanced GM traits developed by legitimate research-backed companies.
• India, which was once a leading producer and exporter of cotton, has become a net importer due to policies that hinder the development and regulated adoption of advanced GM crops.
• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is the apex body responsible for approving GM crops and products in India.
• GM crops in India are regulated under the "Rules for the Manufacture, Use/Import/Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, 1989" notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Genetically Modified (GM) Crops: Plants whose genetic material (DNA) has been altered using genetic engineering to introduce new traits.
• Bt Cotton: A GM cotton variety that produces insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to protect against bollworms.
• Herbicide-Tolerant (HT) Cotton: A GM cotton variety engineered to withstand specific herbicides like glyphosate, allowing for targeted weed control.
• Pink Bollworm: A major lepidopteran pest of cotton, whose larvae feed inside cotton bolls, causing significant damage to yield and fiber quality.