India has an edible oil problem. We simply don’t produce enough of it. More than 70 per cent of it comes from foreign countries. Does it give authority to any institution or association to become self-sufficient at the cost of human health? We must remember that we were self-sufficient in edible oil upto 1995-96. So what goes wrong in our system which made us handicapped in this field.
Association, Jaipur
No doubt it is high time to think and implement action to make India self-sufficient in the edible oil sector, but is GM (Genetically Modified) Mustard the only answer? I believe that GM naming in itself is a big conspiracy and fishy. If there is any change in genetics of any genes, whether natural or manmade, it means we are creating a Genetic Defect product and not a Genetically Modified product. Our greed has changed our food drastically with use of the latest modern technology, which ultimately drowned us in the ocean of new diseases. Thus if food processing can change the quality of food then will it not have an adverse effect on human health?
Other than human health GM Mustard will have an adverse effect on our economy, farmers, export and environment. Multiple NGOs and academics have contested the data. They also believe that the introduction of GM Mustard could threaten wild pollinators like bees. And remember how we noted that this crop is herbicide resistant.
GM Mustard is completely neglected this vital role. Does any research guarantee that use of GM product will have no adverse effect on such reproduction system.
