| Summary/Abstract |
Given the high level of poverty, malnutrition and hunger and the low level of agricultural productivity in India, agricultural biotechnology has great potential. To feed a billion-plus population by relying on conventional methods of cultivation is next to impossible. India is rich in bio-resources and biotechnology offers opportunities for converting biological wealth into economic wealth, thereby creating new employment opportunities on an environmentally and socially sustainable basis. Biotech crops have been cultivated globally for the past two decades with no negative impact on human beings, animals and the environment. The success of Bt cotton in India in the 2000s has set an excellent example of how genetically modified (GM) technology can turn around India’s agriculture sector. Safety of GM crops being a serious issue, it is important to ensure that India has adequate regulatory instruments and infrastructures. At the same time, India has more serious food safety risks to worry about including unsanitary food processing, as well as food security concerns pertaining to the availability and affordability of food. Priority must go to more clearly demonstrated safety risks instead of hypothetical risks.
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