Although no gene-edited crops have yet been commercially released under newly-relaxed regulations, numerous crops are in development and could be approved for market in the years ahead. Indian public sector research laboratories are developing, among other crops, rice and maize that can tolerate drought stress; beta carotene-rich banana; high oleic and low linoleic acid ground nuts, blast-resistant rice; nitrogen and water-use efficient high-yield rice; anthracnose-resistant pepper; biotic stress-tolerant tomato; nutritionally-improved oil seeds; and disease-resistant, anole-quality, low-glucosinolate mustard lines.
Traditionally, all genetically modified crops in development in India have been regulated by the process by which the product was developed (as has been the case in the EU) rather than by the final product itself (as in the US, Canada, Brazil and numerous other countries). These so-called GMOs involved ‘transgenesis’ — the introduction of genes from other organisms to confer specific traits, such as resistance to pests, tolerance to herbicides, improved nutritional content, or longer shelf life. Known as “The Rules, 1989,” these regulations, enacted as a result of India considering GE crops as GMOs, were based on guidelines concerning contained research, biologics, and environmental and food system risks. Insect-resistant Bt cotton, approved for in 2002, is the only GMO crop currently allowed for cultivation
In what the Indian government called a “landmark decision”, in March 2022, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest revised those regulations, allowing field trials of crops developed “free of exogenous introduced DNA” (derived by processes known as SDN-1 and SDN-2) for open field trials leading to commercial release. Both techniques involve “knocking off” or “overexpressing” certain traits within a gene without introducing new genetic material. Products derived through SDN-3, which involves the introduction of foreign genes, are still considered as GMOs.
The Institutional Bio-Safety Committee (IBSC), comprising scientists from the institutions engaged in the GE crop development and from the Department of Biotechnology, still needs to certify that a gene-edited crop is devoid of any foreign DNA, presenting as yet unknown challenges for commercial release.
Products/Research
- Pest and disease resistant mustard, 2023: Scientists at the Delhi University’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research used CRISPR-Cas9 to develop a less pungent mustard with significantly higher glucosinolate. Field testing is set to begin in 2024.
- Drought resistant rice, 2022: Expected to be commercially available by 2026, the gene-edited drought-resistant rice was developed at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
- Salt-tolerant rice, 2019: National Institute for Plant Biotechnology researchers used CRISPR to develop rice able to withstand high concentrations of salt in soil.
- Vitamin A-fortified banana, 2018: National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute researchers used CRISPR to biofortify bananas to help address vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.
Regulatory Timeline
2022: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announces the exemption of genome-edited plants without foreign genes from being regulated as transgenic products, paving the way for field trials and eventual commercialization of GE crops.
2020: Draft guidelines published by the Department of Biotechnology propose tiered regulations in which crops grown without ‘foreign genes’ do not require pre-approval for test trials.
2017: Supreme Court of India issues directives to the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) to frame regulations that would enable approval of genetically engineered food products.
2016: Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) accepts new guidelines on environmental risk assessment of genetically engineered plants, which provide a more systematic and structured process, including public consultation for the first time in the approval process.
2013: Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) stipulates all genetically modified food shall be labeled “GM,” but there has been no enforcement of the labeling requirement.
2008: GEAC adopts Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures for the Conduct of Confined Field Trials and Guidelines for Safety Assessment of Foods derived from Genetically Engineered Plants.
2006: Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 enacted, which regulates genetically engineered food products and processed foods.
2003: Cartagena Protocol (an international agreement) ratified, which protects the transport and use of organisms modified by biotechnology.
1990: Recombinant DNA Guidelines developed.
1989: Rules for the Manufacture, Use/Import/Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, 1989, known as ‘The Rules, 1989’, finalized, which regulate research, development, large-scale use and import of genetically engineered organisms and products.
NGO Reaction
Environmental and consumer groups, often supported by Greenpeace, campaign against genetically engineered organisms and products, and have been influential in blocking the introduction of biotechnology, arguing that “GE crops harm the environment” and pose risks to human health.
Vandana Shiva, an India-born global anti-biotechnology activist, is the most aggressive critic of all forms of genetic engineering. She maintains that the Green Revolution caused more problems than it solved and that biotechnology is a form of corporate colonialism. She opposes even the testing of biotechnology crops and actively promotes direct action campaigns, including eco-terrorism, to destroy field trials and research.
Kavitha Kuruganti of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture called the 2022 deregulation, “unscientific and risky. Genome editing as per Environmental Protection Act 1989 rules has to be regulated fully by GEAC and not selectively,”
Prof. Pushpa M. Bhargava, of the Indian Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the National Knowledge Commission warned: “The ultimate goal of this attempt in India of which the leader is Monsanto is to obtain control over Indian agriculture and thus food production. With 60 percent of our population engaged in agriculture and living in villages, this would essentially mean not only control over our food security but also over our farmer security, agricultural security, and security of the rural sector.”
Additional Resources
- USDA Agricultural Biotechnology Annual, 2022: India
Updated: 09/03/2023
