Safety issues should be given weightage in GM crops: PM

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on Sunday said legitimate questions of safety
should be given "full weightage" while going in for
genetically modified crops and advocated "appropriate
regulator control" for it.

Inaugurating the 97th Indian Science Congress here, Singh
said the developments in biotechnology have the prospect of
substantially improving yields in major crops by increasing
resistance to pests and also to moisture stress.
He said the genetically modified BT cotton was "well
accepted" and made "a great difference" to production and its
extension to food crops should be done following strictly
scientific criteria.
"The technology of genetic modification is also being
extended to food crops though this raises legitimate questions
of safety. These must be given full weightage, with
appropriate regulator control based on strictly scientific
criteria," he told the gathering.
He said better weather forecasting is critical for sound
agricultural management besides developments in biotechnology
that "present us the prospect of greatly improving yields in
major crops".
"Subject to these caveats, we should pursue all possible
leads that biotechnology provides that might increase our food
security as we go through climate related stress," he said.
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