India: Can Biotech Belie The Malthusian Fear?

Article by Dr. Shiv K.Yadav

The term " green revolution" in India was coined about 35 years ago, which symbolizes the increase in production potential of green plants. This revolution was well supported by the Indian Agricultural Research Scientist and of course the Government Policies. As we are already in the 21st century, we need to produce more grains and other agricultural commodities under conditions of shrinking per capita arable land and irrigation otherwise the Malthusian fear of an imbalance between human numbers and capacity to produce enough food for all would come true within next 5 decades.

The green revolution took place when the access to genetic material for plant breeding was not restricted but now, the scenario has changed completely. The breeding stock is rapidly coming under the control of privately funded research institutions. More over, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) had made it mandatory to introduce material and knowledge transfer agreements in relation to the exchange of genetic material.

Agriculture need to produce not only more food, but also generate more income generation and livelihood opportunities. The increase in food production in decades in more parts of the world in recent past has out- paced the rate of growth in population, with the application of modern science in the field of agriculture. Though, such progress had been possible through the synergy between technology and public policy but, very recently the rapid strides in molecular genetics and in the other areas of research have opened up opportunities for promoting an ever-green revolution, rooted in the principles of ecological, economical social sustainability. In fact, this is the high time when the promise shown by the transition from the green revolution to the gene revolution needs carefully study. The promise of biotechnology lies in improving the productivity in terms of quantity and quality of seeds/plants quickly and effectively. The multinationals are now pouring huge investments in bringing the derived traits, in many crops that is given below (Table 1).

The plants can be altered to mature faster or to last longer and to have greater nutritional quality knowing the fact that biotechnology can help in creating seeds/plants that tolerate salt, withstand draught and resist insects. The Indian Institutes have taken up projects to improve certain trait, in crops of national importance, which are summarized below (Table 2).

Genetic engineering started in the early 1970’s and at that time it was limited to bacteria. But, rapidly the technology was extended to the plant kingdom and the first transgenic plant was tobacco. Since then, the evolution has been very rapid and the genetically modified crop varieties, known as GMO's were grown on more than 45 million hectares in the 2000 has increased to about 67.8 million hectares in the world in 2003. The major share (Approximately 63 %) is of US only and the five countries i.e. USA, Argentina, Canada, China and Brazil contributing up to 98 % in terms of area. However, rest of the countries the cultivation of GM’s have been the marginal because of one or the other reason. This may be noticed here that the area in US and Argentina is decreasing gradually, But the area under Transgenics has been on increasing trend in countries like India, Where it has increased its Bt Cotton area by cent percent in just one year. Country wise area under transgenics in the world is shown below (Table 3).

World wide, latest estimates indicate that 842 million people live in the condition of chronic, persistent hunger, one-seventh of our human family. Millions of people, including 6 million children under the age of five die each year as result. Fifty percent of the hungry and malnourished, world- wide is smallholder peasants. Biotechnology has brought ray of hope by producing some of the low input high yielding and nutritionally rich cultivars in a variety of crops that has been given below (Table4).

The agriculture scientists have helped to feed the world till date, using break- through such as the production of high yielding wheat, rice, corn and potatoes etc. This had been possible by the traditional research in breeding and by treating agricultural technology advances as a benefit to be shared as widely as possible including the poor farmers in developing countries. Some of the early successes in the field of biotechnology have given us the ray of hope. If given the same commitment and approach to the gene-revolution, it can form the part of the solutions to the food security challenge of 21st country.

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