India’s biotech regulator recommends environmental release of GM mustard

Context

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Union environment ministry of India has recommended the environmental release of genetically modified mustard which paves the way for its commercial cultivation.

About

• The transgenic mustard hybrid DMH-11 has been developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) at Delhi University. 
• The government has so far approved (in 2002) only one GM crop, Bt cotton, for commercial cultivation.

Mustard cultivation

• Mustard is cultivated by around 6 million farmers in around 6.5-7 million hectares of land across the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
• DMH-11 has been shown to deliver 30 per cent higher yields than existing varieties.
• The average yield of existing mustard varieties is around 1,000-1,200 kilograms per hectare, while the global average is over 2,000-2,200 kgs.