An interesting game of research might is being played out between India and China in the realm of biotech crops. After years of extensive field trials, China is getting ready to launch biotech (Bt) rice for commercial use within 24 months. The development is significant as rice is the most important food crop in the world, especially for the poor. Therefore, it could answer the current food security problem.
Not to be left far behind, researchers at various government and private institutes in India are conducting extensive field trials on, not only biotech rice but, a host of other biotech crops before they are made available for cultivation on a commercial scale. Specifically to biotech rice, field trials are being conducted at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, Mahyco, Mumbai, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Hyderabad and Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad.
However, biotech eggplant (brinjal) may be made available as the first biotech food crop in India within the next 12 months. In total, there are now 10 biotech crops in field trials in India. These include cabbage, castor, cauliflower, corn, groundnut, okra, potato and tomato.
Clearly, India?s increased public and private sector investments including government support for crop biotechnology has helped it outshine China. The facts speak for themselves. At present, biotech cotton is the only crop approved for commercial cultivation in India. Despite this, total area under biotech crop is 7.6 million hectares, a 23% increase in 2008 compared to the previous year, says a recent report from International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).
China pales when compared to India. Besides biotech cotton, other biotech crops made available for commercial cultivation include poplar, papaya, petunia, sweet pepper and tomato. Yet, total area under biotech crops in China stands at 3.8 million hectares, with a shocking zero percent increase in 2008 compared to the previous year.
ISAAA chairman Clive James says, ?India is fast evolving as a leading biotech region not only in Asia but globally too. In 2008, India became the fourth largest adopter of biotech crop in the world, displacing Canada to fifth ranking. Farmers in India planted biotech cotton on 7.6 million hectare, equivalent to 82% of the total cotton area, up from 6.2 million hectare equivalent to 66% in 2007.? A record five million small and resource-poor farmers planted biotech cotton in 2008, which is significantly up from 3.8 million farmers since 2007.
Globally, the US is the largest producer of biotech crops in the world. Last year, it planted 62.5 million hectares of biotech maize, soybean, cotton, canola, sugar beet, alfalfa, papaya and squash. The US is followed by Argentina which has 21 million hectares under biotech crop cultivation. Brazil is next in line with 15.8 million hectares under biotech crop cultivation for soybean, maize and cotton.
The biotech cotton story in India has been remarkable, with a 150-fold increase in adoption between 2002 and 2008.
According to James, in the short span of six years (2002-2007) biotech cotton has generated economic benefits of $3.2 billion, halved insecticide requirements, contributed to doubling of yield and transformed India from a cotton importer to a major exporter. A recent study reports that biotech cotton decreased insecticide sprays by 39% and increased yield by 31%.
According to IARI scientists, India will be in a position to commercialise several biotech food crops in the near term due to a number of reasons. Firstly, the Supreme Court of India has lifted restrictions on all field trials and commercial release of biotech crops. Secondly, the department of biotechnology (DBT) is in the process of setting up a National Biotechnology
Regulatory Authority (NBRA). This will be set up as an independent and autonomous body to provide a single window mechanism for biosafety clearance of genetically modified (GM) products and processes. Thirdly, a new set of guidelines, standard operating procedures and protocols for safety assessment of GM plants and foods has been adopted by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in India.