GM Crops: The Edible Oil Deficit, DMH-11 & GEAC Regulations

UPSC Mains PYQs

GM Crops & Food Security (2018): "Assess the role of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in ensuring India's food security." Discuss the scientific and socioeconomic arguments for and against the commercial cultivation of GM Mustard (DMH-11) and Bt Cotton in India. (15 Marks, 250 Words)

📊 High-Yield Data & Statistical Fact Sheet

Agricultural & GM Crop Metrics:
- Edible Oil Burden: India imports 159 to 165 Lakh Tonnes of edible oil annually (56% to 60% of domestic consumption), costing the exchequer over $10 Billion (~₹85,000 Crore).
- Bt Cotton Footprint: Covers 95% of India's total cotton acreage (~12 Million Hectares), scaling cotton production from 13.6 Million bales (2002) to ~35 Million bales.
- DMH-11 Yield: Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11) has a 28% higher yield than the national check Varuna, and a 37% higher yield than regional check varieties.
- Oilseed Yield Deficit: India's oilseed yield stands at ~1.2 Tonnes/Hectare, far below the global average of ~2.5 Tonnes/Hectare.
- Brinjal Freeze: Bt Brinjal remains under an indefinite moratorium since February 2010, despite receiving safety clearance from the GEAC.

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1. THE EDIBLE OIL DEFICIT & GM MUSTARD (DMH-11)

Macroeconomic Edible Oil Deficit: India spends over $10 Billion annually to import 56%+ of its edible oil requirements. Raising domestic oilseed yields via hybrid vigor is a high-priority national security target.
DMH-11 Mustard (Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11): Indigenously developed by Delhi University using the Barnase-Barstar genetic hybridization system:
- Barnase Gene: Sourced from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, induces male sterility in the maternal plant line.
- Barstar Gene: Restores male fertility in the offspring hybrid seed, allowing normal self-pollination.
- Bar Gene: Confers tolerance to glufosinate-ammonium herbicide, used exclusively as a marker for seed selection.

Bt Cotton Success Story: India's only commercially approved GM crop (introduced in 2002). Incorporates Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes from Bacillus thuringiensis to secrete crystalline toxins that selectively destroy the pink bollworm pest, reducing chemical pesticide use.
Refugia Strategy: Sowing a boundary of non-GM cotton surrounding Bt cotton fields to prevent pests from rapidly developing resistance to the Bt toxins.
Bt Brinjal Moratorium: Developed using Cry1Ac gene to resist shoot and fruit borers. Despite GEAC biosafety clearance, public and political concerns over biological safety and food chain contamination led to an indefinite moratorium in 2010.

Three-Tier Regulatory Hierarchy:
- Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC): Operates at the R&D center level to supervise lab safety.
- Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM): Statutory body under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) that monitors biosafety trials.
- Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC): Apex statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under EPA 1986. Evaluates large-scale environmental trials and approves commercial release.
Socioeconomic and Ecological Concerns:
- IPR Monopolies: High seed costs and licensing constraints from multinational seed corporations.
- Genetic Contamination: Outcrossing and horizontal gene transfer to wild crop varieties, threatening native gene pools.

Notes updated up to March 2026. Sources: GEAC Biosafety Clearance Guidelines, Ministry of Agriculture Bulletins.