India to Promote GMO Crops

[Dover]

INTERVIEW: India to Promote GMO Crops
Wed Sep 1, 2004 10:27 AM ET

By Atul Prakash
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India plans a new policy promoting speedy approval of GMO crops to boost yields and feed its growing population, a government minister said on Wednesday.

The policy, which should be in place within eight to nine months, would also promote foreign and private sector investment in the biotechnology sector.

"We intend to have a biotech policy as quickly as possible to supply to the farmers pest-resistant and drought-resistant seeds with high nutritional values," Kapil Sibal, federal science and technology minister, told Reuters in an interview.

The debate on biotech grains has intensified worldwide, with advocates saying they could lead to a more secure future for food, while opponents say they could produce new toxins and allergens, affecting the health of consumers.

India opened the door to genetically modified organism (GMO) technology in 2002 after years of trials and allowed Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co. (MAHYCO), in which U.S. biotech giant Monsanto Co. owns a 26 percent stake, to sell transgenic cotton....cont'd

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=reutersEdge&storyID=6125219