Scientists and others, who are in favour of genetically-modified (GM) food crops, have got support from an unexpected quarter — a Nobel laureate.
Richard J. Roberts, who won the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1993, on Monday made a forceful case for promoting research on GM food crops and their use for public consumption, saying they were needed to at least take care of vitamin and other deficiencies in the developing world.
This global overview by Testbiotech documents several case studies showing how genetically engineered plants such as maize, rice, cotton, oilseed rape, bentgrass and poplar trees are spreading uncontrollably.
Farmers in the Philippines has vandalised a field trial of golden rice, a genetically modified rice fortified with vitamin A, under International Rice Research Institute.
The environment ministry's Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has cleared field trials for genetically modified rice, wheat, maize and castor for the Kharif season of 2013.
Not to allow field trials of transgenic rice varieties
The government on Monday asserted that it would not permit field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops in Kerala, even as research and advocacy groups came out against the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) for considering an application submitted by a multinational company for trial cultivation of transgenic rice.
The field trial of a genetically modified rice variety has been deferred till an expert committee formed to look into the food security aspect submits its report.
