The Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the ‘unfounded fears’ of the adverse impact of genetically altered oilseeds are hurting farmers, consumers, and the industry.
India is already importing huge quantities of edible oil extracted from genetically altered oilseeds for domestic consumption and unfounded fears of their adverse impact are hurting farmers, consumers, and the industry, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the court.
The bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol heard the arguments and reserved their orders on pleas by activist Aruna Rodrigues and non-governmental organisation (NGO) Gene Campaign seeking a moratorium on the release of any genetically modified organisms (GMOs) until there is a comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous bio-safety protocol in the public domain, conducted by independent expert bodies.
Mehta told the court that approximately 55-60 per cent of edible oil consumed in India is imported.
“Strengthening of plant breeding programmes including the use of new genetic technologies such as genetically engineered technology is critical for meeting emerging challenges in Indian agriculture and ensuring food security while reducing foreign dependency,” Mehta told the bench.
During the hearing on Wednesday, the bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol said that one can have different schools of thought and they as judges cannot enter into a debate with scientists. “We have to consider what is good for India?” Justice Nagarathna remarked.
Mehta told the court on Thursday that the total edible oil demand in India in 2020-21 was 24.6 million tonnes while domestic availability stood at 11.1 million tonnes.
“In 2020-21, 13.45 million tonnes (54 per cent) of our total edible oil demand was met through import worth about Rs 1,15,000 crore, which includes palm oil (57 per cent of total oil import), soybean oil (22 per cent), sunflower oil (15 per cent) and a small quantity of canola quality mustard oil. In 2022-23, 155.33 lakh tonnes (55.76 per cent) of our total edible oil demand was met through import,” Mehta said.
He said India is importing and consuming large quantities of edible oil extracted from GM oilseeds. “India imports about 55,000 million tonnes of canola oil largely from GM canola seeds. Similarly, nearly 2.8 lakh tonnes of soybean oil is being imported annually, largely comprising GM soybean oil. Most exporting countries like Argentina, the US, Brazil, and Canada cultivate GM soybeans. Globally, around 80 per cent of soybean growing is GM soybean. As India is importing and consuming oil derived from GM crops, opposition to such technology based on such unfounded fears of adverse impact is only hurting farmers, consumers, and the industry,” he asserted.
Mehta submitted three genes – barnase, barstar, and bar – which are used for developing mustard hybrid DMH-11 have a history of more than 20 years of safely being there in the food chain.
“The Government of India is committed to the safe use of Genetically Modified (GM) crops and accordingly robust evaluation systems are in place. Bt cotton was approved in 2002 after an elaborate safety assessment exercise spanning over 7 years,” the Centre told the Supreme Court.
On the third day of the hearing, the Centre told the court that India has a robust regulatory framework in place for the regulation of GMOs and products thereof. “The approval of Bt cotton and Bt brinjal by the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) and Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has been accorded on the basis of an elaborate set of guidelines and procedures. It may also be noted that these guidelines are based on state-of-the-art international guidance developed after years of consultations by agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Codex Alimentarius,” the government said in its filing.
The court, while delivering the order, said all documents concerning the case should be submitted on or before January 22. “Learned Solicitor General of India has made his submissions today on behalf of the respondent(s) by submitting a note. We have heard learned senior counsel and learned counsel for the petitioner(s) and learned Attorney General for India, learned Solicitor General of India, and other learned counsel for the respondent(s) extensively. Judgment reserved,” the order said.
First Published: Jan 18 2024 | 10:52 PM IST
