Criticism of Genome-Edited Rice Release in India
The Coalition for a GM-Free India has criticized the Government of India for releasing two genome-edited rice varieties, deeming the action as devious and irresponsible.
Concerns Raised by the Coalition
- The Coalition advocates for a GM-free world and emphasizes that scientific literature highlights the lack of safety in gene-editing techniques.
- The government is accused of succumbing to corporate pressure to promote these techniques.
- Gene editing is portrayed falsely as precise and safe, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
- India has deregulated two types of gene editing (SDN-1 and SDN-2), which the Coalition claims is illegal.
Issues with Intellectual Property and Public Resources
- Gene-editing tools are proprietary technologies under IPR ownership, affecting India's seed sovereignty.
- The introduction of these crops is seen as a waste of public resources.
Environmental and Agricultural Concerns
- Promises of increased yields in cereal crops like rice are doubted, especially since India already has surplus production.
- Monocultures of such crops are causing severe environmental problems.
Comments by Agricultural Representatives
- Venugopal Badaravada, a farmers' representative, criticized the ICAR's claims about genome-edited rice as premature and misleading.
- Farmers are calling for accountability, transparent data, and field-tested technologies rather than mere press releases.
