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Entry of GM Seeds in Food Production
Government of
India does not maintain database on the status of genetically
modified seeds in food crops approved for commercial use in
different countries. According to Bio Track database of Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and database
at Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) of UN Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), GM crops have been approved for use in Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Colombia,
Czech Republic, European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico,
Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, USA and Uruguay.
According to the 2009 report of International Service for
the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Application (ISAAA), countries
like Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, Honduras, Portugal,
Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain are also known to have
approved GM crops for commercial use.
Each country has its own legal regulatory
framework for elaborate food and environmental safety assessment
of GM crops before commercial use. As per international practices,
some countries consider food safety data generated in another
country to save cost and time. According to information received
from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of
India, Philippines has considered for their approval process,
the food/feed safety data of insect resistant brinjal (Bt
brinjal) particularly on the toxicology and allergenicity
aspects generated in India as available with the Genetically
Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC).
The Government of India has taken a decision
to impose moratorium only on commercial cultivation of Bt
brinjal. Research and biosafety assessment of many other crops
is in pipeline. Since the regulatory framework of GM crops
is country specific, the decision taken in one country has
no impact on the decision taken in other country.
This was stated by Shri Prithviraj
Chavan, the Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth
Sciences in the Rajya Sabha today.
Source: Press Information
Bureau
Date: April 15, 2010
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