In the next three to four years, transgenic crops or genetically-modified crops are all set to become an integral part of every farmer?s field. From a single-most popular transgenic crop, Bt cotton, the trend is now towards transgenic varieties of various other crops to improve productivity. The recent commercial planting approval of the Bt cotton variety, ?Bikaneri Narma? by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) could be a shot in the arm for transgenic crops in India.
Bikaneri Narma is to be marketed under the seed public distribution system due to which farmers can multiply the seeds and avoid repeated purchases unlike in hybrids. The new cotton variety has been developed by India?s Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) and by the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharward, Karnataka.
The variety contains the gene for the Bt Cry 1Ac protein and has been approved by GEAC for release in the northern, central and southern cotton growing zones of the country. In fact, in 2008 GEAC has approved 84 new Bt cotton hybrids, based on four different transformation ?events? for commercial planting in different regions.
Further, as part of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) network project in transgenics, about 20-odd institutes are developing thermo-resistant and abiotic stress-resistant varieties for crops which include mustard, rice and wheat, fungal resistance in rice and banana, delayed ripening in tomato, virus resistance in cotton, soybean, tomato, potato, banana, papaya, cassava and insect pest-resistant varieties for rice, sorghum, maize pigeon pea, chick pea, cotton, tomato and brinjal.
According to KC Bansal, professor, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), there are over 8-10 crops which are in different phases of trials and it would take about three to five years from now for their commercialisation. This also includes the ?Golden Rice? which is still in greenhouse trials.