India's PM says he's willing to trade off ethical, environmental and food safety concerns about GMOs against the gains GM can deliver in terms of food production.

The only problem is that there's no convincing evidence for increased food production from GM, as Dr Doug Gurian-Sherman, the Senior Scientist at the Center for Food Safety and a former biotech specialist at the US Environmental Protection Agency, recently pointed out in a N. American context:

"There were big gains in yield for decades in field crops like corn or soybeans due to conventional breeding and other changes before GMOs (along with this have come all of the problems with industrial agriculture - but yields have improved), and I have not seen evidence that GMOs have increased that improvement rate over the background of what would be expected without GMOs. In fact, with soybeans in the US, there has been some evidence of a fall-off in yield improvements since GMOs were introduced (but that has not yet been adequately confirmed)."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7094

So India is being asked to trade off health and environmental concerns for something entirely speculative and unproven but which may have very real consequences. Amongst these are economic ones.

There is no more famous rice brand in the world than "Basmati," and with products containing Chinese and US rice being pulled off supermarket shelves, rice cargoes impounded and turned back and US rice famers facing what some have called a financial "catastrophe" thanks to GM, one might think Manmohan Singh might have more sense than to do anything that might undermine the standing of Indian rice.

But then India's Prime Minister seems much more interested in cosying up to Bush and Monsanto than in looking after the interests of his own farmers.
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India must balance GM fears with food security - PM http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-10-09T153345Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-271408-2.xml

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday possible health and environmental dangers from the development of new genetically-modified rice varieties had to be balanced with the need to feed more than one billion people.

"We need to strike a balance between using the potential of biotechnology to meet the requirements of hungry people, while addressing ethical concerns about interfering with nature," Manmohan Singh told a international rice conference.

By 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates global demand for rice will have risen to 800 million tonnes a year against current output of 600 million tonnes.

Asia accounts for 90 per cent of all rice production, a staple food for more than half of the world's population. Over two billion people source 60-70 percent of their energy needs from rice and its products.

"I hope and believe that future evolution of rice will change the destiny of millions of people across the globe through improved and affordable supply and quality improvement," Singh said.

He said India's stagnant rice output was a cause for concern and production urgently needed to be increased.

"We in India are concerned that the growth rate of both production and productivity in rice cultivation in India has tapered off in recent years," he said. "We need a new boost to rice production and productivity."

In India rice is cultivated throughout the year spread over 44 million hectares, with an annual production of around 90 million tonnes, representing the largest area under the grain of any country, and the world's second-highest production.

Some in India see the answer to stalling output as the increased use of biotechnology, while others are worried about the long-term impact of such a move.

India has so far not permitted commercial cultivation of any genetically modified crops for human consumption though some trials are continuing. Cotton is the only genetically altered crop grown commercially.

"How the potential of this wonderful and creative science should be directed and controlled for human welfare, progress and prosperity in harmony with nature is a big question," Singh said.

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said India was second only to China in developing hybrid rice -- rather than genetically modified -- which promises improved harvests.

India has a million hectares under hybrid rice cultivation, he said, adding the target was to bring three million hectares under the varieties by 2010.

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