June 28, 2005

India should view Brazil as a model in opting for GM crops

India will stand to lose if it does not follow Brazil in encouraging development and cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops, said Dr Clive James, the chair of International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).

He said that Brazil had a lot of potential for boosting its agriculture and it rightly opted for development and cultivation of GM crops. It is today the world leader in soybeans and has 25 million hectares under cultivation of Monsanto-Roundup ready GM soybeans.

It has the largest area under rice cultivation outside Asia and has third largest area under corn cultivation after US and China. Should Brazil opt for transgenic rice and corn, it can even surpass many developing countries in agriculture.

Dr James said that Brazil generates revenues through exports of transgenic soybeans to Europe and China in a big way. Public sector research in Brazil has developed transgenic papaya and beans, which are in the final stages of approval. He also praised President Lula's leadership for introducing two presidential decrees for GM soybeans cultivation.