Clear policy on GM crops needed: PMEAC

The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council today asked the government to chalk out a clear policy on genetically-modified (GM) crops. The suggestions follows the controversy over commercial introduction of Bt brinjal for the past few months.

The PMEAC economic review said that the regulatory framework should clearly access performance of GM crops in the field keeping in mind environmental and food safety issues.

“After the success of Bt cotton and the benefits it has brought to farmers in Gujarat and Maharastra, it is imperative that the government must have a clear policy in GM crops,” the report stated.

The council also suggested that the results of studies to gauge the affects of introduction of such crops should be made available in the public domain at the shortest possible time.