Govt has crop gene research on the cards

A committee of the Agriculture Ministry has proposed to conduct research on 12 crops to improve pest resistance and shelf-life. During a meeting of the Parliamentary consultative committee, Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh said a network project on transgenic crops will be taken up.

The proposed research project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will cover maize, pigeonpea, chickpea, soyabean, cotton, tomato, brinjal, banana, papaya, potato and cassava.

‘‘Biotechnology applications in general and transgenics in particular offer new opportunities in agriculture to increase production and productivity,’’ said Singh. He added the project would focus on targeted trait improvement in each of the 12 crops such as resistance to pests, fungal diseases and viral diseases, tolerance to abiotic stresses and extended shelf life.

Following the controversy over Bt cotton, members stressed the need for assessment of risk factors involved.