April 27, 2023
Experts emphasise benefits of GM crops in India's aquaculture sector
Indian fisheries and biotechnology experts have emphasised the benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops in India's aquaculture sector, including the potential to enhance the supply of feed ingredients, promoting growth, disease resistance, and reducing input costs in aquaculture production, MENAFN reported.
The introduction of GM crops in the aqua-feed sector would also help reduce the mounting pressure on fishmeal and fish oil and maintain a sustainable aquaculture industry, the experts noted.
Dr Vibha Ahuja, Chief General Manager of BCIL, highlighted that GM crops come with desirable traits such as insect resistance, disease resistance, and herbicide tolerance, which can boost yield.
Dr Ahuja said cost analysis showed that the use of dried distillers grains with soluble (DDGS), a co-product from cereals in the distillery industry, can help reduce shrimp feed prices.
Most of the DDGS produced worldwide are of GM-corn origin, and Indian feed producers can capitalise on the economic benefits if they are open to using them as feed ingredients, she said.
Dr A Gopalakrishnan, director of CMFRI, said that one of the primary benefits of GM crops in the aquaculture sector is their ability to increase the nutritional value of the feed.
He said GM soybeans can be engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for the growth and health of farmed fish. Feed constitutes 50-55% of total input cost in aquaculture.
Globally, 71 countries use GM crops and their products for food, feed, and processing. In India, Bt Cotton, a GM crop, has been cultivated since 2002, with significant increases in production and economic benefits for farmers. The government of India approved the environmental release of GM Mustard for its seed production and testing in October 2022, following existing ICAR guidelines.
The experts spoke at an awareness workshop on the use of GM crops for the aqua-feed sector, organized by the Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) in association with the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).
- MENAFN
