State grants NOCs for GM field trials

NOCs to trials in the state were issued by the agriculture department earlier this month to over 15 applicants. They,however,put many conditions,such as the applicant entity,private or government,will have to conduct trials on the premises of some other company or organisation. For instance,Nagpur’s Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) has been asked to conduct trials on the fields of Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV),a state agriculture university. They will also have to get their research and development facilities examined by Agriculture Department officials and state agriculture university experts.

To verify the genetic engineering aspect of the trial,the company has to get verification of trait and gene nucleotide sequences at CICR lab,Nagpur. The companies will have to get actual physical verification of the presence of gene and expression of traits at CICR,said a stipulation. The applicants will also have to get intellectual property rights issued and protocols verified at CICR.

After confined field trials are over,the applicant entity will have to submit a report on trait field efficacy evaluation,net economic trait value,ecological and environmental impact assessment,micro and macro economic impact assessment vis-a-vis farms and trade,social impact assessment and technology sustainability issues to the monitoring and impact assessment team constituted by the Agriculture Commissioner.

Other conditions include following the laid down standard operating procedure and conditions stipulated by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

“But an NOC doesn’t mean they can start trials right away. They will have to take this NOC to the GEAC to get final approval,” said Additional Chief secretary (Agriculture) S K Goel. A Supreme Court-appointed committee had last year recommended a 10-year moratorium on field trials of GM crops. The apex court,however,had said in October 2012 that trials won’t be stopped unless all stakeholders are heard.

The virtually defunct GEAC was later reconstituted and met in March this year during which field trial approvals were granted to some pending proposals. The minutes of the meeting were uploaded on the MoEF website on June 20,but were removed the next day.

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