Proposed Indian government rider may become a GM crop killer

INDIA: Proposed Indian government rider may become a GM crop killer
19.sep.07
HT Media
Jacob P. Koshy

New Delhi - The government is, according to this story, considering a proposal that says genetically modified (GM) crops, apart from passing several other field trials, also have to prove that they are nutritionally superior to their “natural” counterparts before they can be cultivated in any scale and, consequently, sold commercially.
The Supreme Court may have lifted an eight-month ban on field trials of generically modified or GM food crops (albeit with some riders) in May, but if the government decides to go ahead with this proposal, it will make it tougher for any GM crop to make the grade. Companies and research bodies developing GM eggplant, for instance, must, in addition to passing toxicity and allerginicity tests, show that this is nutritionally superior to ordinary eggplant. GM crops are usually cultivated because they promise high yields, good-looking vegetables and fruits, and are pest-resistant.
Vasantha Muthuswamy, senior deputy director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), who helped draft the guidelines, was quoted as saying, "A GM tomato can’t just be big and juicy, but will have to prove that it’s better than what you get now."
The story says that the guidelines even mandate that GM crops cultivated as animal feed—high yields are a big selling point in such cases—need to be nutritionally as good as the “natural” crop.