Remove misgivings regarding GM crops, says Pawar

Double your efforts to remove all misgivings regarding genetically modified (GM) crops from the minds of policy-makers and the public, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told scientists in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Double your efforts to remove all misgivings regarding genetically modified (GM) crops from the minds of policy-makers and the public, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told scientists in New Delhi on Wednesday.

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Inaugurating the two-day conference of vice-chancellors of agricultural universities and meeting of directors of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) here, Pawar said: "The recent decision on Bt Brinjal should not be seen as a setback to our efforts, but a challenge which we need to surmount."

In a strongest possible defence of genetically modified crops, Pawar took a position diametrically opposite to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who put a moratorium on commercial release of Bt Brinjal pending more tests.

"Conventional technologies of agriculture are inadequate to meet the formidable challenges. The most compelling case for bio-technology, and more specifically transgenic crops, is their capability to increase crop productivity, lower production costs, conserve bio-diversity, efficient use of external inputs, and improvement of economic and social benefits and alleviation of abject poverty in poor and developing countries," the minister said.