India to allow trials of GM crops

India is going ahead with plans to allow field trials of genetically modified crops, despite growing national opposition.

Sharad Pawar, the agriculture minister, told delegates at the National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign that GM crops would enable India to meet the growing demand for food, according to a report in The Economic Times on 5 March.

“Biotechnology has great potential to improve yields. The government is committed to the use of biotechnology and other new technologies for agriculture development, and backs field trials of GM crops with a crop-specific dedicated monitoring protocols system," Pawar said.