Call to set up autonomus biotechnology regulator
06 Jan 2010
The government should set up an autonomous National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority for regulating research and clearance to genetically modified plants and animal products in the country, Dr Ajay Parida, executive director of the MS Swaminathan Research foundation (MSSRF), said today.
He was delivering a lecture on biotechnology at the 97th Indian Science Congress in Thiruvanathapuram.
Such an authority, he said, would be in a position to approve the release of transgenic plants to framers without delay as the present procedure for approval was time consuming.
He said various government laboratories alone have developed at least ten varieties of transgenic crops but have not so far released them to farmers for want of official approval.
MSSRF, he said, had developed a salt resistant and drought resistant transgenic rice verity years back and it is under field trail only. He said that transgenic rice variety has an yield of two tonnes per hectare, which will be stable up to six generations. The transgenic paddy can also be cultivated under normal conditions.
He said productivity of paddy in the country is stagnant at the 1996-2007 level of 2.12 tonnes. But, in Taiwan, the productivity of paddy is five tonnes per hectre.