NIHAR GOKHALE, Supporters of Genetically Modified Mustard argue that using the high-tech seed will improve India's mustard seed production, and help India reduce its Rs 65,000 crore bill on importing edible oils.
However, looking deeper into this import bill and its history reveals that this argument doesn't really hold. In fact, the reference to imports brings to light how India's self-sufficiency in edible oils was eroded by the 1991 economic reforms and joining the World Trade Organisation.
The measures also caused large losses to oilseed farmers, including mustard-rapeseed growers. The reference to import bills also highlights contradictions in India's international mustard trade, and the government's skewed trade policies on edible oils that continue to affect the whole oil extraction industry, and a problem whose solution lies less in GM technology and more in correcting trade policies.