“It is important that the trails are kept in abeyance till the regulatory mechanism is put in place,” said R S Seshadri of Ricetech. Rice exporters did not want a situation like the one where EU banned all rice trade with the US after stocks were contaminated to the extent of 0.6 per cent.

With growing numbers, the role of state governments is becoming more crucial — the State Biotechnology Coordination Committee, headed by the chief secretary and with nine other members, is one of the several layers of regulatory apparatus to periodically review the safety and control measures. In most states, this machinery is not operational even if it exists on paper. A permission for trials by the RCGM comes with a whole list of dos and dont’s that a company is supposed to abide with, including the size of the fields, the physical barriers and the way to dispose the seeds. All clearances of crops entail that the company provide details of locations within 30 days of the issue of clearance. Plus, they have to inform respective village panchayat officials. Regulators maintain that this is still a “learning process and the Indian regulation is one of the strictest in the world”.

Field trials for genetically modified crops

• Tomato: New Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune), TN, Karnataka (4)

• Cabbage: Delhi,UP (2), Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan

• Cauliflower: Delhi (2),UP (2), Haryana (2), Punjab, Rajasthan

• Corn: Maharashtra (Rahuri), Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, MP, UP, Haryana, Karnataka (Dharwad)

... contd.