September 2007
Sep 27,Newindiapress.com	GM processed food monitoring streamlined India’s improved regulatory capacity on GM issues is evident from its decision to change the regulatory focus on processed food containing GM products. This was preceded by reforms, making GM approvals more transparent. In India, the list of GM crops under field tests is notable. The key is to be careful but not fearful. The Govt. has proposed that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) should only be looking at the implications of the ‘live’ end of GM activity. The GEAC should not be involved in answering queries about GM soya used in a can of processed food, the Food Processing Ministry should be the nodal agency for this. GEAC needs to monitor GM soya only during field tests and in initial stages of commercial cultivation So unless processed food contains GM products that are live — seeds, for example — the GEAC should not bother to spend regulatory time and energy on it. All processed GM food will have to be labelled under the new Food Safety and Standards Act. There can be issues on GM labelling but the improved GM regulatory facility should hopefully be able to tackle these issues.
Sep 26, The Indian Express	Doors opened for processed GM foods to enter market The government has given permission for processed foods containing genetically modified organisms and exempted it from regulatory approval. Up to now, all GMOs had to take clearance from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) but the latest notification issued by the Ministry of Environment & Forests exempts foodstuff whose end-products are not Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) — living organisms can be used to propagate or reproduce, like in seeds. According to a GEAC member, the mandate of the committee is “environmental safety”. Since GMOs in this form do not spread or grow, it “does not fall in their purview”. This will have significant implication on the food industry, as additives and ingredients made out of genetically modified maize, corn and soya are used by the sector. Both the Mashelkar and Swaminathan Committees are of the opinion that the GEAC should have under their regulation, only organisms and products where a LMO is the end product.
Sep 25,Financialexpress.com	Cornell researchers get nod for Bt brinjal trials An international association of Cornell researchers and Sathguru Management Consultants from India has got the go-ahead from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) for large scale trials of eggplant (brinjal). This is likely to be the first genetically engineered food crop in South Asia expected by 2009. The genetically engineered eggplant would be resistant to the fruit and shoot borer (FSB) pest. Another partner, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds is scheduled to commercialise the genetically modified eggplant by 2009.
Sep 24, The Economic Times	India sees record cotton output for 2nd year Cotton output in India is estimated to reach 33 million bales in the crop year to Sept 2008, compared to previous year’s output of 27 million bales. This is attributed to good rains and widespread use of transgenic seeds that contains Bt gene providing resistance to the cotton crop against bollworm, a damaging pest. This results in higher yields for the farmers, also cutting down the pesticide costs, making Bt an economically viable option for the farmers. Harvests have begun well in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra and northern state of Punjab, all having large areas under Bt cotton, this year. India is the world’s third- largest cotton producer after China and the US, with Gujarat being its largest cotton producing state. The cotton acreage has increased to around 9.9 million hectares from 9.2 million hectares last year. The higher adoption rates are an evidence of the popularity of Bt seeds amongst the farmers and the record production of the crop has brightened the prospects of cotton exports to China, Bangladesh and the Middle East countries, with experts projecting figures of more than 6 million bales during this crop year, 20% up from the previous year.
Sep 07,Business Standard	Oilseeds processors look at GM crop for better yield After seeing the positive results of GM seeds in cotton, oilseeds processors are now beginning to realise their importance. They are considering the potential of locally developed GM seeds for better output without large increase in the area under cultivation. Chairman of the Central Organisation for Oil Industry & Trade (COOIT), Davish Jain said, soybean seeds could be tried, but it wants to decrease dependence on imports from the current 40% to 20% in the years to come. The aim is to reach at least 40 million tonnes in oilseeds production, from the current level of approximately 25 million tonnes.
Sep 07, The Economic Times	Kutch farmers prosper with cotton Shift from traditional crops to cotton has been a significant factor in the prosperity of Kutch after the earthquake. About 6.5 lakh cotton bales were produced this year against last year’s 3 lakh bales. More than 65,000 hectares were under cotton this year as against last year’s 58,000 hectares in Kutch. A return of Rs 1,000 crore for the cultivators is expected from this region. The good yield per acre is due to usage of Bt cotton. Kutch was the first region in India to grow Bt cotton. The cotton grown here commands higher prices than that grown elsewhere in the country.
Sep 04, Business Line	Cotton exports may surpass forecast This year, cotton exports are estimated to be 60-65 lakh bales (one bale is 170 kg), as compared to 45-47 lakh bales last year. This prediction is based on the interest shown by foreign buyers in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Mr Yogendra Gupta, a leading ginner from Haryana said that prices of cotton would be up by 5-10% in 2007, i.e., Rs 2,200 per quintal against Rs 1,800 per quintal paid last year. In the north, cotton production is estimated at 51.97 lakh bales. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh also are likely to see a significant growth in output.