Letters: GM crops and cows

The editorial "The state of cows" (March 17) has correctly described the hopeless state of the cow sector after the growing bans on cow slaughter in many Indian states. This is a Catch-22 situation for the agricultural sector. If you do not ban cow slaughter, the Hindutva supporters will consider that policy-makers are anti-Hindu. If you ban cow slaughter, the abandoned cows will have nowhere to go since their future shelter houses will be so expensive that no one would like to invest in them.

Add to this mess a recent statement by the Chief Justice of India H L Dattu, saying that genetically modified (GM) crops are a dangerous global experiment. If India does not go for GM crops, on what technological basis will the crop sector grow? Agricultural experts know that currently there are not many options available. This is one reason the demand for high protein pulses in India is met by imports in huge quantities. So, the agricultural sector, comprising cows and crops, has no blessings either from the Hindutva supporters or the so-called "impartial" legal system.

Chandrashekhar G Ranade Washington DC

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