India needs to adopt newer technologies such as genetically modified varieties of edible oils to become self-sufficient, said noted agri economist and Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, while making a case for stringent labelling to safeguard interests of consumers who do not wish to consume such produce.
Chand told ET that India can offer access to the US in select areas of agriculture such as edible oils with some safeguards.
He said there is a growing realisation that the conventional methods cannot raise a country's productivity levels and use of technology is imperative to improve self-sufficiency and reduce imports.
India is the world's largest importer of edible oils, which stood at about 16 million tonnes in 2003-24.
"I can say if we use it in soya bean, our yield can immediately double or increase by 70-80%... If we use it with required caution, I don't see any risks because there have been no negative reports from a country like the US, which has been using GM produce for a long time," he said, while pointing out that India's soya bean yield has remained flat over the last 50 years.
On the other hand, he said, the US yield, which was only 50% higher than India's 50 years back, is now 300% higher following adoption of GM tech. He said China, which had reservations about GM until some time back, released GM 75 varieties recently.
"We cannot increase production by expanding the area under cultivation because that has limitations... Ultimately, it will have to be the productivity route," he said, adding that this is a technology that the rest of the world had invested in and standardised it.
New Delhi has so far only approved Bt cotton for commercial cultivation, while the Supreme Court from April 15 began hearing petitions challenging the environment ministry's approval for cultivation of GM mustard. The court had on July 23 directed the government to develop a national policy on GM crops.
Farm sector reforms & incomes
Chand said the performance of the agriculture sector in terms of growth and volume production, in terms of sector income and in terms of farmers' income in the last 10 years has been historically the best. It is for the first time in the history of this country that income growth in the farm sector has been at the same level as the non-farm sector.
On agri reforms, he said, the Centre made a serious effort and was forced to roll back. "There is no sense... neither there is good politics in attempting those again," he said, adding that the ministry of agriculture had circulated some guidelines to the states on the lines of these reforms.
But the future of agriculture, he said, lies in these reforms and increasingly involving the private sector. "And, the states which are not undertaking these steps... the segments (of agriculture) where these are not being implemented remain sluggish or stagnating in production," he noted.
Trade with the US
"This is one area which we can offer to the US... You crush soya bean and give us oil cheaper than others or we can extract oil and re-export the cake... Same can be done with corn," he said, adding that labelling needs to be stringent to address concerns of consumers who do not wish to consume GM produce. This, he said, could be a modality to address public sensitivity with regard to GM produce. "We have to be imaginative... This opens a window for us".
Chand told ET that India can offer access to the US in select areas of agriculture such as edible oils with some safeguards.
He said there is a growing realisation that the conventional methods cannot raise a country's productivity levels and use of technology is imperative to improve self-sufficiency and reduce imports.
India is the world's largest importer of edible oils, which stood at about 16 million tonnes in 2003-24.
"I can say if we use it in soya bean, our yield can immediately double or increase by 70-80%... If we use it with required caution, I don't see any risks because there have been no negative reports from a country like the US, which has been using GM produce for a long time," he said, while pointing out that India's soya bean yield has remained flat over the last 50 years.
On the other hand, he said, the US yield, which was only 50% higher than India's 50 years back, is now 300% higher following adoption of GM tech. He said China, which had reservations about GM until some time back, released GM 75 varieties recently.
"We cannot increase production by expanding the area under cultivation because that has limitations... Ultimately, it will have to be the productivity route," he said, adding that this is a technology that the rest of the world had invested in and standardised it.
New Delhi has so far only approved Bt cotton for commercial cultivation, while the Supreme Court from April 15 began hearing petitions challenging the environment ministry's approval for cultivation of GM mustard. The court had on July 23 directed the government to develop a national policy on GM crops.
Farm sector reforms & incomes
Chand said the performance of the agriculture sector in terms of growth and volume production, in terms of sector income and in terms of farmers' income in the last 10 years has been historically the best. It is for the first time in the history of this country that income growth in the farm sector has been at the same level as the non-farm sector.
On agri reforms, he said, the Centre made a serious effort and was forced to roll back. "There is no sense... neither there is good politics in attempting those again," he said, adding that the ministry of agriculture had circulated some guidelines to the states on the lines of these reforms.
But the future of agriculture, he said, lies in these reforms and increasingly involving the private sector. "And, the states which are not undertaking these steps... the segments (of agriculture) where these are not being implemented remain sluggish or stagnating in production," he noted.
Trade with the US
"This is one area which we can offer to the US... You crush soya bean and give us oil cheaper than others or we can extract oil and re-export the cake... Same can be done with corn," he said, adding that labelling needs to be stringent to address concerns of consumers who do not wish to consume GM produce. This, he said, could be a modality to address public sensitivity with regard to GM produce. "We have to be imaginative... This opens a window for us".
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