Chennai:
India should go in for Genetically biofortified crops like Golden Rice
and iron rich rice after appropriate regulatory clearances to meet the
challenges of Zero Hunger by 2025, according to noted scientist M S
Swaminathan.
Addressing a silver jubilee symposium on ‘Enhancing and Sustaining
Agriculture Productivity for Food and Nutrition Security’, Swaminathan
also highlighted that public fears over genetically modified organisms is a
biggest obstacle to meet the target.
Expressing concern over the golden rice trial site being vandalized by
people in the Philippines, Swaminathan advocated for trials of genetic modified organisms
at the fields of Indian state universities.
“The scientific problems can be solved, but public fears over GM
organisms (GMOs) may be a bigger obstacle,” the scientist said while
advocating for National Biosafety Authority to access risks and
benefits from GMOs with reference to biodiversity, human and animal
health and environment.
He also highlighted how United States Department of Agriculture has
approved modified potato to reduce the amounts of potentially harmful
ingredient in potato.It is learnt that potato has Acrylamide which is carcinogenic. “It
is produced when the potato is fried and it is suspected of causing
cancer in people,” he said.
He also urged L Gautam, vice president of National Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, to urge the government to declare 2018 as
International Year of Underutilized & Biofortified Crops.
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