Pant Pitches For Asian Collective Approach On GM Food

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

New Delhi, April 7: Experts have urged the governments of Asian countries to develop a collective approach and coordination in view of the import regulations for genetically modified (GM) food becoming a contentious issue in global trade.

Inaugurating the second conference on biotechnology for Asian development in Capital on Wednesday, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission KC Pant said, “at present there are very few countries where production and import of GM crops are completely legalised. Various WTO committees like committees for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT) are discussing issues like traceability and labelling, equivalence and precautionary principles. I believe that a collective thinking and coordination by Asian countries at these committees and other fora would be fruitful as GM food import has become a contentious issue.”

He said, “several Asian countries have built impressive institutional infrastructure and capability in different areas of applications of biotechnology. These countries can fruitfully cooperate in various ways to exploit their synergies and expertise for mutual benefit.”

Mr Pant cited that already some initiatives for regional cooperation are in the framework of Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), ASEAN-India free trade agreement and in SAARC resolutions. He said the key focus has to be in the area of capacity building, particularly in terms of handling GM crops in the fields. “One needs to take lessons from the experiences with Bt cotton and Bt corn in a number of countries with respect to issues relating to labelling, traveability and bio-safety management.”

He said the seventh conference of parties (COP-7) to the UN Covention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Kaula Lampur in February this year has advanced the agenda for meeting the objectives of CBD and the Cartagena Protocol. “We have to utilise this period,” he said.