Niti Aayog backs local GM crop policy to prevent monopoly of foreign firms

India could prevent foreign firms monopolising the market for genetically modified (GM) seeds by allowing the sale of only locally developed varieties, a government think-tank has said, in a boost for transgenic mustard produced by a Delhi group.

The Policy Commission said in recommendations this week to the government, and seen by Reuters, that adopting new technology is one of the most important drivers of farm productivity.

Cotton is the only GM crop currently allowed to be sold in the world's second most populous country where arable land is shrinking. U.S. company Monsanto Co dominates the cotton seed market in India, and