Скачать или смотреть India Should Unshackle Innovation in Agricultural Biotechnology

By the end of 2023, China officially announced the approval for commercial planting of genetically modified (GM) maize and soybean as part of a systemic national policy to advance toward commercial cultivation of
indigenously developed genetically modified crops to ensure climate resilience, reduce import dependence and ensure food security.

In May 2017, Chinese Govt's ChemChina acquired Syngenta, world largest seed and chemical company for US$43 billion (~Indian rupee 3 lakh crores) consolidating its strategic plan to own cutting-edge biotech traits, high-performing seeds, diverse genetic stock and germplasm, new chemical molecules, agro chemicals and formulation technology for increasing domestic food production, and leveraging them for expanding footprints in the global food production sector.

While India scuttled its every plan, either by public or private sector institutions (both MNC and domestic seed companies) by imposing moratorium on insect resistant Bt brinjal and delaying approval of next generation BGIIRRF cotton, China tactically played its cards at three fronts; first allowing import of GM grains, animal feed and edible oil of soybean, corn, cotton and canola to ensure availability of food, feed and fibre at an affordable price, secondly acquired major global seed and pesticide companies such as Syngenta and Adama and finally, developed domestic companies and approved new generation biotechnology crops for commercial cultivation for a food secure nation.

China knows what it means to be a food secure nation. It's a right time for India to craft a new strategy on its food, food, fibre and fuel bioeconomy, strategies a national policy of co-developing technologies with MNCs, forge global collaboration on technology transfer and enable Indian seed, crop protection and biofuel industry to deploy technologies necessary for increasing yield, increasing food production and leveraging agri and food sector for economy growth.

In this context, South Asia Biotechnology Centre's Bhagirath Choudhary shares his insights, knowledge and field experiences of the past, present and future of genome editing and agri biotechnology continuum during the DBT-International Hands-on Workshop on Genome Editing "Redesigning Crops for Smart Agriculture (RCSA 2023)", organized by International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), held at ICGEB on 06–10 November 2023, New Delhi.

More information about South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC), Jodhpur: https://www.sabc.asia/