What are GMOs?
Before we dive into the GMO debate, let’s understand what they are. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. Humans have been doing this for thousands of years. Anytime a crop would yield a high harvest, or a domesticated animal was particularly loyal, they would be further bred to pass on their favorable traits to the next generation. This is also called selective breeding because we are simply selecting traits that are favorable to us and breeding them more.
Due to selective breeding many crops and species of domesticated animals are very different to their prehistoric versions. But selective breeding was largely dependent on chance. With genetic modification we have eliminated the dice of chance and taken matters into our own hands. We can directly edit the genome of a species with this technology to introduce traits that we want or eliminate ones that we don’t.
Want to know the various benefits of GMO Food? Click HERE to check out the companion web story!
Is GMO Food harmful?
Application of GM in Agriculture and Food is a highly researched discipline. The research has been going on for half a century now and the results are in. Consuming GMO food poses no risk to health and environment and as we saw in the web story, they are highly beneficial in fact.
Opposition to DMH-11 in India
Then why the debate? GMO plants have proteins which make them naturally tolerant to various chemicals that are sprayed in the farm. This allows for the use of such chemicals for these crops. DMH-11 mustard seed is tolerant to glufosinate, herbicide used to kill weeds. Thus, eliminating manual labor engaged in pulling out weeds.
“GM mustard is neither Swadeshi nor safe. It is neither good for health nor for environment. It is herbicide tolerant mustard and so there will be greater use of herbicides which have been proven to be carcinogenic. How can the GEAC give such an approval when it is proven that glyphosate is carcinogenic?”, said Ashwani Mahajan, convenor for Swadeshi Jagran Manch.
A simple google search however reveals that glyphosate is not at all carcinogenic according to the United States Agency for Environmental Protection. In fact, in US, it is the highest sprayed herbicide.
However, the GEAC has banned the use of herbicides for cultivation of DMH-11 in farm.
Danger to Honeybees?
The second issue that activists have raised is that DMH-11 may cause harm to honeybees that suck nectar on mustard plants. However, according to a report cited by GEAC from the Department of Biotechnology, the genetic modification of DMH-11 poses no “adverse impact on honeybees and other pollinators”. The field trials of DMH-11 will quell these fears for once and all.
The new GM mustard seed that is indigenously developed by the Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) under Dr Deepak Pental, has undergone research for 30 years. DMH-11 is claimed to provide a 25-30% higher yield than the traditional Varuna seed variety of Mustard. This will help India tackle its increasing Edible Oil import bill which amounted to almost $19 billion this year. Currently, India imports 14-14.5 million tons of edible oil from abroad while only producing 8.5-9 million tons domestically; a deficit of 2/3rd.
