We are delighted that the eminent scientist MS Swaminathan has restored sanity to the government’s policy stance on transgenic (or genetically modified) crops. The Task Force on Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture set up last year under his chairmanship — comprising among others, representatives from the Union health, food and commerce industries — has now submitted its report. The Financial Express welcomes its balanced recommendations which offer real hope of streamlining the cumbersome regulatory process and steering it away from ad hocism. We have often editorially commented on the need for a transparent process of decision-making on GM crops. An autonomous, statutory Agricultural Biotechnology Regulatory Authority, one which will cut through layers of red tape and be directly answerable to Parliament, will achieve just that. Pending the setting up of the ABRA, the panel advises that the commercial release of transgenic crops should concern the Union agriculture ministry, specifically the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. It also suggests that “once an extant transgene has been declared bio-safe, its derivatives need not always be evaluated for bio-safety again”. We cannot agree more since we have always been against re-inventing the wheel and have also asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee — currently responsible for commercial approvals — to limit itself to environmental clearances. In fact, we believe that no governmental agency need concern itself with evaluation of even the economic benefits of GM crops. Governmental machinery need only disseminate necessary information to the farmer. Thereafter, the farmer is competent enough to judge whether yield improvements and cost savings justify his adoption of GM seeds.

Equally noteworthy is the panel’s attempt to balance industry’s interests with the farmer’s, the profit motive with public concerns. Thus, it stresses on adoption of GM varieties (which allow the farmer to save and re-use seeds the following year), not just hybrids. It stresses on the desirability of a strong liability regime and seeks government- and corporate-sponsored insurance schemes for the GM farmer. It advocates segregation and labelling of GM foods for consumer benefit. The panel believes that linkages between organic and biotech farming should be studied and seeks registration of GM seeds, a justifiable demand of corporates. The upshot is that it has identified glaring weaknesses in the existing system. Given its wide focus, it can scarcely be accused of exhibiting bias — particularly desirable in today’s polarised environment. It will probably be a year before the Union cabinet gets to deliberate upon this blueprint. But when it does, we urge it to swiftly approve it and set in motion a revamp of the regulatory set-up. In the interim period, all stakeholders should engage in a dialogue aimed at developing consensus over the ABRA.