SOPA demands Centre to immediately curb illegal import of GM soyabean

The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) on Tuesday demanded the government take immediate action against the illegal import of genetically modified (GM) soyabean.

Currently, the import of GM products is prohibited.

"However, it has come to our knowledge that some unscrupulous companies are importing GM soybean, in contravention of every rule and regulation," SOPA Executive Director D N Pathak said in a letter to the Union Agriculture Ministry.

A vessel carrying 17,741 tonnes of GM soyabean is currently discharging the cargo at Mumbai port, he claimed, and requested the ministry to take "immediate action".

"If immediate action is not taken, and such imports are permitted, it will open the flood gates for illegal imports of GM soybean which will destroy our soybean cultivation," Pathak said.

The soybean may find its way even to the farmers, causing irreparable damage to Indian soybean cultivation, he added.

Soyabean is one of the major oilseeds that India is focusing on increasing production and reducing the dependency on imports.