India's Prime Minister Bats on GM Crops for Food Security

In the wake of a recent decision on Bt brinjal, the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh had a consultation on Bt brinjal with a group of senior Ministerial colleagues including Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Environment Minister  Jairam Ramesh. The consultation underlined the importance of biotechnology in productivity and food security, called for private investment in biotech, a time-frame for a decision on Bt brinjal, and the establishment of the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority. Mr Singh advised that The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), India's apex biotech/GM regulatory committee, will address the concerns and resolve all scientific issues relating to Bt brinjal.

Earlier this week, Agriculture Minister Mr. Sharad Pawar suggested in the letter to the Prime Minister that the ad hoc freeze on Bt Brinjal would set the clock back and demoralize Indian scientists. "The recent decision regarding Bt brinjal must not be seen as a setback to our efforts," he said in his address to the Conference of Vice Chancellors of Agricultural Universities. Science and Technology Minister Mr. Chavan and HRD Minister Mr. Sibal also echoed the voice in favor of Bt brinjal and supported Bt technology.

Visit the Press Information Bureau (PIB) for the article ‘PM holds consultation on the role of biotechnology in food security' available at http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=58322 See also http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bt.-brinjal/583749/ For more information about biotech developments in India contact b.choudhary@cgiar.org and k.gaur@cgiar.org