Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Studies(IGIDR), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on ‘Harnessing Opportunities to Improve Agri-Food Systems’ on July 24-25 , 2014 in New Delhi. The two day conference aims to discuss the agricultural priority of the government and develop a road map to realise these priorities for improved agri food systems.

1. CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES OF GM CROPS
P. ANANDA KUMAR
Institute of Biotechnology
ANGRAU
Hyderabad 500030

2. INDIA
2008: 1.15 b
2050: 1.50 b
POPULATION

3. “Food Security exists when all people,
at all times, have physical and economic
access to sufficient, safe and nutritious
food to meet their dietary needs and
food preference for an active and
healthy life”
World Food Summit, 1996: FAO, 1996
FOOD SECURITY

4. COMMODITY 2000 2010 2020
FOOD GRAINS 208.0 266.0 343.0
EDIBLE OIL 6.3 9.4 13.0
VEGETABLES 80.0 117.2 168.0
FRUITS 22.2 42.9 81.0
MILK 84.0 153.1 271.0
MEAT, FISH &
EGGS
6.2 12.7 27.0
SUGAR 12.8 17.3 22.0
TIFAC: TECHNOLOGY VISION 2020
FUTURE NEED
Million Tonnes

5. INDIAN AGRICULTURE
• Agriculture represents 14% GDP
• 126 million farming families engaged in
Primary agriculture
• 234 million in agriculture sector
• Average farm size – 1.41 Ha
• 90 % production - domestic use
• Export – $6 billion (1.5% of total exports)
• 700 million people living in 683,000 villages
• Human development index: 134/182
• Global hunger index: 23.7 (World 14.6)

6. CHALLENGES
 Urbanization
 Diminishing area of cultivated land
 Soil erosion
 Salinization of land
 Depleting water resources
 Vanishing energy resources
 New threats (E.g., Ug99)
 Global climate change

7. SPECIFIC PROBLEMS
 Malnutrition (40% of global
malnourished)
 Hunger (1/5th population)
 Undernourishment
 Micronutrient deficiency
 Anemia in women and children
 Strict consumer preferences

8. GM CROPS - OPPORTUNITIES
• Break Yield Barriers (Next Quantum Jump)
• Improve productivity - output/input ratio
• Improve quality of foods (Nutrition)
• Minimize chemical inputs – pesticides and
fertilizers (Safe & Sustainable agriculture)
Mitigate adverse effects of Climate Change
JUDICIOUS COMBINATION OF
PLANT BREEDING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

9. GM CROPS-THE PROMISE
More food
Better quality food
Safer food
Healthy foods
Designer foods

10. PLANT GENETIC ENGINEERING
Genetic manipulation of a plant
species by introduction and expression
of a foreign gene or its own gene to
confer a novel trait or character

11. Dr Bruce Chassy, UIUC

12. GM CROPS
(Transgenic Crops)
• Resistance to pests and diseases
• Tolerance to drought and salinity
• Production of high yielding hybrids
• Improvement of protein and oil quality
• Post-harvest traits
• Metabolic manipulation
• Therapeutics
• Edible vaccines
• Phytoremediation

13. GM CROPS
GLOBAL STATUS
Area of GM crops in 2013
is 170 million hectares in 28 countries
Herbicide tolerance
Insect pest resistance
Virus resistance
Male sterility
Modified oil quality
ISAAA, 2007
ISAAA, 2014

14. SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL
BENEFITS - 1996-2012
•Increased crop production and value by US$ 116.60 billion
•Providing a better environment, by saving 443 m kg of pesticides
•Reducing CO2 emissions-19 billion kg = 9 m cars off the road-2010
•Conserved biodiversity by saving 91 million hectares of land
•Helped alleviate poverty by helping 15.0 million small farmers
who are some of the poorest people in the world
Brookes and Barfoot, 2014

15. Slow-Ripening Tomato
“Flavr-Savr”
(First commercialized GM crop-1994)
• Improved texture
• Delayed ripening
• Facilitation of transportation

16. PEST RESISTANCE
Bt Cotton - 1995
• Carries a gene coding for δ-endotoxin of Bt
(Bacillus thuringiensis, a biopesticide)
• The gene confers resistance to bollworms
• Protects the yield
• Drastically reduces pesticide consumption
(290,000 METRIC TONS OF PESTICIDE
INGREDIENT)

17. Non-Bt (Tigers) and Bt cotton

18. Bt-cotton - First GM crop – 2002
Area – >10.0 million hectares - 2013
Bt cotton hybrids - 1200 - 2013
Net economic benefit - $ 225/ha
Yield gain - 31%
Reduction in pesticide sprays – 39%
Increase in profit – 88%
Second in global cotton production
(34 million bales - 2013-14)
Bt-COTTON IN INDIA

19. Bt-BRINJAL VARIETIES
(Fruit Borer Protection)
IIVR, UAS-D, TNAU
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PATNERSHIP WITH M/S MAHYCO
ABSP II

20. Bt Normal
(Cry1Fa; Patent No. 242768)
Licensed to M/S Bejo Sheetal
NRCPB
RBLB
.
I
pBinBt9LB
.
cry1Fa1
35S Pro
Fruit damage
Control: 45%; Bt: 2%
BRL II 2014-15
Bt-Brinjal (IARI/ICAR)

21. Parent Null Transgenic BS 6H (Bt)
AAU, Jorhat & NRCPB
(Cry2Aa; NRCPB Patent)
Plant Science, 2010
Bt-CHICKPEA
Resistance to Gram Pod Borer
BRL I; 2014-15

22. BROWN PLANT HOPPER RESISTANT RICE
Osmania University
Nagadhara et al., Theor. Appl. Gen., 2004;109: 1399-1405
Snowdrop Lectin
Field Trial at Maruteru
ANGRAU
Glass house Tests

23. DISEASE RESISTANCE
GM Papaya - Resistant to Ring Spot Virus Late Blight Resistant Potato
(Hawaii and China) CPRI-Shimla

24. HERBICIDE RESISTANCE
Resistant to eco-friendly herbicides.
Soybean, Corn, Cotton, Canola & Alfalfa
CONSERVATION TILLAGE AND BETTER WEED CONTROL
Roundup Ready Flex Bt cotton – Field tests
CONTROL E-2 E-3 E-
6
Glyphosate tolerant Rice - IR 64
NRCPB

25. NURITIONAL QUALITY

26. NUTRITIONAL QUALITY
“GOLDEN RICE” - β-carotene - Provitamin A
Dr Gerard Barry, IRRI

27. IARI,
New Delhi
DRR,
Hyderabad
TNAU,
Coimbatore
INDIAN GOLDEN RICE NETWORK CENTRES
Swarna
Jaya
ADT43
ASD16
BPT5204
MTU1010
Dr A K Singh, IARI

28. Qu et al., Planta 2005; 222: 225-233
IRON AVAILABILITY
FERRITIN IN RICE ENDOSPERM

29. Improved Protein Quality
Introduction of an Amaranthus gene
coding for a protein with balanced
amino acid content (WHO standards) in
potato
Ama1 - GM Potato
Biosafety and Field Tests - NIPGR
Chakraborty et al., PNAS 2000; 97: 7 3724-3729

30. OIL QUALITY
• High oleic acid canola and soybean.
(Unsaturated Fatty Acids-Healthy)
• High Laurate Canola (Industrial)
(Commercialized in USA, Calgene)

31. HYBRID PRODUCTION
• Creation of male sterile and restorer lines
• Use of bacterial genes Barnase & Barstar
(E.g. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens)
• Production of high yielding hybrids
• Hybrids of Canola Commercialized
(Canada, Australia, USA)
MUSTARD HYBRDS - BRL II FIELD TESTS - UDSC

32. DROUGHT TOLERANCE
Transgenic maize which
expresses an RNA chaperone
gene is tolerant to salt and
water stress - USA-2013
AFRICA
CIMMYT-MONSANTO
Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation

33. THE ROAD AHEAD
1. Several speed breakers.
2. Enormous cost of biosafey tests
3. Excessive GM regulation-Impediment to PRS efforts.
4. Losing time - Ecological disasters
5. Thousands of Deaths due to pesticide poisoning,
malnutrition, anemia etc.,
6. Strident anti-GM campaign
7. Many states declared their opposition to GM
8. “No Objection Certificate” – Rules 1989
9. Public awareness – Need of the hour
10. BRAI bill ??
Science based policy, Dialogue and Complementarity

34. THANK YOU