List of Genetically Modified Crops in India 2024

List of Genetically Modified Crops in India 2024: As of 2024. India commercially cultivates only one genetically modified (GM) crop which is cotton. Bt cotton is the only genetically modified (GM) crop that is Herbicide Tolerant (HT) and cultivated mostly as a Kharif crop in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

However, some other crops are in various stages of experiment and trials i.e. soybean, brinjal, maize, Sugar beet, tomato, maize, and chickpea. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is a statutory body that falls under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and is responsible for approving proposals about the release of genetically modified crops into the environment.

In this article, we are going to discuss the List of Genetically Modified Crops in India in detail.

What are Genetically Modified Crops?

Plants that have undergone genetic engineering to modify their genetic makeup are known as genetically modified crops, or GMOs (genetically modified organisms). This entails modifying an organism’s DNA, usually by introducing genes from another creature to add desired features.

Through the process of genetic modification, scientists can give crops unique characteristics that they might not have naturally, such as resistance to pests, diseases, or herbicides, tolerance to environmental stresses like salt or drought, increased nutritional value, or longer shelf life.

Read in Detail:

• Genetically Modified Crops
• Genetic Engineering in Agriculture

List of Genetically Modified Crops in India 2024

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, India is the 5th largest country for cultivating genetically modified (GM) crops in the world. Genetically modified crops are plants altered using genetic engineering. By 2015, 26 types of these crops were approved for commercial use in some countries. Bt cotton is the only genetically modified (GM) crop that is Herbicide Tolerant (HT) and cultivated mostly as a Kharif crop in India. In 2023, 116.79 lakh hectares of cotton were cultivated with Bt cotton. Here is the List of Genetically Modified Crops in India (Approved and Under Trials).

Crop	Genetically Modified Varieties	Approval Status	Possible Uses	Additional Details
Bt Cotton	G. hirsutum	Approved in 2002	Textile production, oil	Altered cotton covers over 10.8 million hectares in India.
Bt Brinjal	Janak and BSS-793 ( containing Bt Cry1Fa1 gene)	Blocked in 2010	Agriculture, food	The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee recommended commercial release in 2007. Developed by Mahyco in collaboration with Dharwad University and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
GM Mustard	Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11)	Approved in 2022	Oil production	DMH-11 is an herbicide-tolerant crop developed by Delhi University. It’s a cross between ‘Varuna’ and ‘Early Heera-2’ mustard varieties.
GM Soybean	–	Not approved	–	India hasn’t approved import of genetically modified soybean seeds due to contamination concerns.
GM Tomato	Modified Tomato Under Trials	Not specified and approved	Extended shelf life, food	Genetically modified to stay fresh for 30 extra days. The ripening process is delayed by altering specific genes.
GM Chickpea	Pyramided lines with multiple Bt genes; Drought-tolerant, high zinc & iron content	Experimental	Food, agriculture	Experimental varieties include drought-tolerant with high zinc & iron content. Efforts to combat gram pod borer also in progress.

Genetically Modified Bt Cotton and It’s Status In India

Bt cotton is the only genetically modified crop approved for commercial use in India. It is modified to produce its own insecticide and fighting off pests like the cotton bollworm. There is also a variant called HTBt cotton that is resistant to a herbicide called glyphosate. But it has not been approved due to concerns about glyphosate’s cancer causing potential and the risk of creating superweeds through cross-pollination.

• Bt cotton lacks enough workers for the necessary double weeding rounds.
• HTBt cotton simplifies farming with just one glyphosate spraying, saving farmers significant costs.
• Scientists, alongside the WHO, confirm that HTBt cotton poses no cancer risk.
• Illegal sales of cotton seeds raise concerns over quality control and environmental pollution.
• The illicit seed market threatens both small seed companies and the overall legal cotton seed industry in India.

Crop Name	Genetically Modified (GM) Cotton
Development	Created by Monsanto (now Bayer) and other biotech companies
Genetic Modification	Addition of genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) into cotton DNA to produce bug-killing proteins
Introduction in India	First planted in 2002
Adoption Rate	Quick acceptance, now widely grown in India
Benefits	Significant decrease in pesticide use, increased harvests, less damage from pests
Concerns	Bugs developing resistance, debate over seed prices, impact on other organisms, farmers getting into debt
Regulatory Framework	Governed by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Current Status	Commonly farmed across India, subject to regular checks and approvals
Economic Impact	Big part of India’s cotton production, affecting farmers’ income and textile industry
Research and Development	Ongoing work to create new types with better traits and ways to manage resistance
Future Prospects	Focus on sustainable methods, tackling resistance issues, balancing pros and cons, exploring new biotech advances

Commercial Release of Different Bt Cotton Events in India (2002-2022)

In between 2002 to 2022, so many Commercial Release of Different Bt Cotton Events took place in India as mentioned below.

Crop	Gene(s)	Event	Developer	Status	Year of Approval
Cotton*	cry1Ac	MON-531	Mahyco/Monsanto	Commercialized	2002
Cotton*	cry1Ac and cry2Ab2	MON-15985	Mahyco/Monsanto	Commercialized	2006
Cotton*	cry1Ac	Event-1	JK Agri-Genetics	Commercialized	2006
Cotton**	cry1Ac	BNLA-601	CICR (ICAR) & UAS, Dharwad	Commercialized	2008
Cotton*	synthetic cry1C	MLS-9124	Metahelix Life Sciences	Commercialized	2009
Cotton*	cry1Ac	MON-88913	Monsanto	Commercialized	2010
Cotton*	cry1Ac and cry2Ab2	Bollgard II RR Flex	Monsanto	Commercialized	2012
Cotton*	cry1Ac	Event-1	FiberMax® (FM)	Commercialized	2012
Cotton*	cry1Ac	Bollgard II® XtendFlex™	Bayer CropScience	Commercialized	2015
Cotton*	cry1Ac	MON-88701	Monsanto	Commercialized	2015
Cotton*	cry1Ac and vip3Aa19	TwinLink Plus	Bayer CropScience	Commercialized	2015
Cotton*	cry1Ac and vip3Aa20	WideStrike 3	Bayer CropScience	Commercialized	2016
Cotton*	cry1Ac and cry2Ab2	Bollgard 3	Bayer CropScience	Commercialized	2016
Cotton*	cry1Ac, vip3Aa20, and mCry51	TwinLink Plus, WideStrike 3	Bayer CropScience	Commercialized	2017
Cotton*	cry1Ac, cry2Ab2, and vip3Aa19	Bollgard 3 XtendFlex	Bayer CropScience	Commercialized	2018
Cotton*	Bt cotton	GFM-0719	JK Agri-Genetics	Commercialized	2019
Cotton*	Cry1Ac	BG-III	Mahyco/Monsanto	Commercialized	2020
Cotton*	Cry1Ac	RCH-134	Rasi Seeds	Commercialized	2022
Cotton*	Cry1Ac	GFM-2019	JK Agri-Genetics	Commercialized	2023
Cotton*	Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab	IRM-201	Nuziveedu Seeds	Commercialized	2023
Cotton*	Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab	IRM-202	Nuziveedu Seeds	Commercialized	2023
Cotton*	Cry1Ac	IRM-203	Nuziveedu Seeds	Commercialized	2023
Cotton*	Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab	IRM-204	Nuziveedu Seeds	Commercialized	2024

Genetically Modified Crops in India – Timeline

Here is the detailed timeline of Genetically Modified Crops in India as mentioned below.

2002	Bt cotton was introduced in India.
2006	Critics of GM crops filed a case in the Supreme Court.
2010	The then minister Jairam Ramesh halted the release of Bt Brinjal due to disagreements among scientists and brinjal-growing states.
2010	States had to agree before field trials could proceed.
2012	A government committee recommended ceasing all trials of GM crops.
2013	Trials for new crops stopped following experts’ advice to wait for 10 years.
2013	The Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan suspended all trials based on expert guidance.
2014	Veerappa Moili, Jairam Ramesh’s successor, allowed trials to resume.
2014	The government permitted trials for 11 crops like maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, groundnut, and cotton.
2014	The government approved 21 new types of genetically modified crops for testing, except one. Six were not approved due to insufficient information.
2016	GM Mustard was allowed for testing, but the Supreme Court stopped it and sought public opinion.
2017	India proposed commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal.
2018	The decision on commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal was pending.
2019	It was decided to proceed with commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal.
2020	Trials of genetically modified chickpeas commenced.
2021	The government aimed to simplify the approval process for GM crops.
2022	Trials of genetically modified okra began.
2023	The regulatory framework for GM crops was under review.

Types of Traits in Genetically Modified Crops in India

Here are the major types of the Genetically Modified Crops in India as mentioned below.

Pest Resistance

Some genetically modified (GM) crops are engineered to produce proteins that are harmful to specific insect pests. For instance, Bt cotton generates a protein from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis that eliminates certain insects.

Herbicide Tolerance

Certain GM crops can endure the application of specific herbicides, enabling more efficient weed control while diminishing the necessity for other, potentially more hazardous herbicides.

Disease Resistance

Genetic modification can grant immunity to plant diseases, thereby decreasing crop losses.

Improved Nutritional Content

Some GM crops have been crafted to possess enhanced nutritional value, like “Golden Rice,” which contains elevated levels of beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A).

Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops in India

Here are some major benefits of Genetically Modified Crops in India as mentioned below.

Improved Crop Yields

Genetically modified (GM) crops can be engineered for better pest resistance and increased productivity, which can assist in addressing food security concerns.

Decreased Dependency on Pesticides

Pest-resistant GM crops can lessen the reliance on chemical pesticides, resulting in reduced environmental harm and potential health advantages for farmers.

Enriched Nutritional Quality

GM crops can be tailored to offer enhanced nutrition, potentially mitigating nutrient deficiencies in specific populations.

Prolonged Product Freshness

Certain GM crops have been altered to withstand spoilage, leading to an extended shelf life for items such as tomatoes.

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Summary – Genetically Modified Crops in India 2024

A topic of great interest and discussion in India is genetically modified (GM) crops. Cotton is the sole genetically modified crop that the nation commercially grows as of 2024. The so-called “bt” variety of cotton is genetically modified to generate its own insecticide, so decreasing the need for chemical pesticides and expanding crop productivity. But research and testing are still ongoing for other crops, such as tomato, brinjal, maize, and chickpea. Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the regulatory body that approves genetically modified crops. The effects of GM crops on the environment, human health, and regulatory supervision are all causes for concern, even with their potential benefits. In terms of GM crop farming, India is ranked fifth in the world. Continued observation and evaluation of the effects of genetically modified agriculture on the environment, human health, and agriculture are crucial.

FAQs on Genetically Modified Crops in India 2024

What are the new genetically modified crops in India?

In India, only Cotton is currently commercially cultivated as a GM crop. Trials are underway for other crops like brinjal, tomato, maize, and chickpea using transgenic technology.

What is the rank of India in genetically modified crops?

India ranks 5th in global cultivation of GM crops.

What are 5 genetically modified crops?

Only a few types of GMO crops are grown in the United States, but some of these GMOs make up a large percentage of the crop grown (e.g., soybeans, corn, sugar beets, canola, and cotton).

Why BT crops are banned in India?

Various arguments have been given against genetically modified crops in general and specifically against Bt Brinjal. Health concerns: There are concerns about the potential risks of Bt Brinjal for human health.

Is Bt cotton banned in India?

BAN on GM CROPS. Bt. cotton is the only Genetically Modified (GM) crop approved in 2002 by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for commercial cultivation in the Country and, therefore, cultivation of other unapproved GM crops are banned in India.

What is the number 1 GMO crop?

Soy. If you choose soy that is not certified organic, you can be fairly sure that it is genetically modified. Soy is the most common genetically modified crop in this country, and can be found in many forms: whole soy beans, oil, and soy lecithin, to name a few.

Is Golden Rice allowed in India?

Currently, there is no cultivation or commercialisation of Golden Rice in India. However, a version of Golden Rice, called GR2E1 has got the necessary approvals related to its regulatory clearance in the Philippines and it is being cultivated in huge areas in that country.

Which vegetables are GM in India?

There is an array of crops — brinjal, tomato, maize, chickpea — in various stages of trials that employ transgenic technology. However, cotton remains the only transgenic crop that is being commercially cultivated in India.