What are GM crops?

• A genetically modified organism (GMO) or living modified organism (LMO), is any organism whose genetic material has been modified using laboratory-based transfer of genetic material from another organism.
• Development of GM crops starts with the identification of genes of interest and isolating it from the host organism. The gene is incorporated into the DNA of crop plants using laboratory based gene gun or agrobacterium approaches.
• GM technology involves direct manipulation of DNA instead of using controlled pollination to alter the desired characteristics. Genetic modification is one the approaches to crop improvement, all of which aim at adding desirable genes and removing undesirable ones to produce better varieties.
• GM crops are permitted for environmental release and cultivation only after undergoing elaborate food and environmental safety assessment under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. 
• So far, commercial release is granted only for Bt cotton. Now the approval makes GM mustard only the second approved transgenic crop in India after Bt cotton and the first such food crop that can be commercially cultivated by farmers.

Benefits of GM crops

• Better Pest and Disease Resistance;
• Greater tolerance of stress, e.g. drought, low temperatures, salinity etc;
• High yield and faster growth, so that harvesting can be done with shorter growing seasons;
• Can be made more nutritious;
• Can be made resistant to specific herbicides.

Drawbacks with GM crops

• Unpredictable side effects;
• May cause ecological damage;
• Poor farmers may not be able buy them;
• Intellectual property rights issues.

Why in news?

• Welcoming the decision of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) to provide environmental clearance for genetically-modified mustard, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute emphasized that it would lead to find a science-based solution for a major challenge, the edible oil import.
• As the GEAC has given environmental clearance for Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH -11), this hybrid can now be tested in the all India coordinated trial of AICRP for its yield advantage.

What is GM or Hybrid Mustard?

• Mustard is one of India’s most significant winter crops cultivated between mid-October and late November.
• It is a self-pollinating crop which is especially difficult to hybridize naturally as it cross-pollinates itself.
• Deepak Pental, a scientist and former vice-chancellor of Delhi University developed DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11 – a genetically modified variety of mustard at the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants.

How can the cultivation of GM Mustard help India?

• Being the world’s biggest importer of edible oils, India spends tens of billions of dollars to import cooking oils every year.
• The country meets more than 70% of its vegetable oil demand through imports from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Russia and Ukraine.
• Eg: Sunflower oil constitutes about 16% of total edible oil imports in India, and it is also a major cooking ingredient in almost every Indian household. About 70% of the sunflower oil imported by India used to come from Ukraine and 20% from Russia.
• The decision of GEAC recognises the potential of biotechnology to address the issue of India’s growing edible oil imports as DMH-11 seeds could yield about 30% more than a traditional reference mustard variety. This could help boost edible mustard oil production, and reduce huge import costs for edible oil.
• For the benefit of farmers, DMH-11 could reduce the use of pesticides and insecticides during farming thereby leading to better yield production.
• GM crops can produce more even in small areas of farmland which in the long term can ensure the betterment of the food supply.

References:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gm-mustard-will-be-ready-for-cultivation-in-three-crop-seasons-iari-director/article66061897.ece
2. https://newsonair.com/2022/10/27/how-geacs-nod-for-environmental-release-of-gm-mustard-will-help-farmers/#:~:text=The%20approval%20makes%20GM%20mustard,be%20commercially%20cultivated%20by%20farmers.
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/food-genetically-modified