One year after it was first taken up for consideration, India’s first genetically modified food crop is one step away from being sold commercially. In a recent meeting, the apex regulatory body, cleared Bt brinjal (genetically modified brinjal) developed by Mahyco, for large-scale trials.

It also cleared proposals for pollen flow/biosafety studies for other food crops — bhindi (okra), rice and tomatoes.

After a protracted case in the Supreme Court, the regulatory body has been extra cautious and has introduced a host of safeguards to be followed while testing.

The Bt brinjal has the same Cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis as cotton. The gene makes the plant tolerant to the fruit and shoot borers, pests which attack it throughout its life cycle. The yield-loss due to fruit and shoot borers in India alone is estimated to be about $221 million (Rs 900 crores).

The first large-scale trials would be done under the supervision of director, Indian Institute of Vegetable Research at Varanasi. This is a major departure from other large-scale trials done on cotton in the past. The Genetic Engineering approval Committee (GEAC), the regulatory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, has forbidden any company from conducting trials in farmers’ fields as per the recent Supreme Court order.

Meanwhile, public sector research on Bt brinjal is close on the heels of Mahyco’s hybrid. They were accorded clearance for Multi Location Field Trials (MLFT), a step before the Mahyco hybrid large scale trials. These trials would be conducted at five agriculture research institutes in South India.

... contd.