The Supreme Court refused to impose an interim ban on field trials of GM crops despite the technical expert committee (TEC) appointed by the top court having strongly recommending it. Taking on board the opposition to the interim recommendations of the TEC, the Supreme Court has directed all parties to file their submissions so that the TEC can submit its final report in six weeks.
Making a strong plea in favour of GM crops, Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati contended that field trials should be allowed to resume as this would help meet the increasing demand of food for the growing population.
The government in its affidavit stated: “Green Revolution has been saturated and the methods of conventional breeding are showing very marginal increase in yield. Further, the use of inputs like fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation schemes is expensive and unsustainable.”
“Biotechnology could bring in a second green revolution but there is a need to increase food grain production from the current estimated supply of 257 million tonnes to 345 million tonnes by 2030. With no further possibility of increasing the net sown area, the only recourse left to meet the requirements of the country’s food security is through increase in productivity,” it stated.
“Confined field trials can be conducted in a manner that prevents environmental harm by the escape of experimental genetically engineered plants, using science-based management methods that have been implemented successfully by numerous authorities in thousands of field trials,” the government affidavit further stated.