India may turn big producer of GM rice, vegetables by 2010

India has the potential to become a major producer of transgenic rice and several genetically modified (GM) vegetables by 2010, according to a research report by Rabo India Finance Ltd on the Indian agri-biotech sector. It has emerged as one of the leading destinations for investment in biotechnology in the recent years. It is also emerging as an important destination for both biomarkers and validation services, the report said.

Research work is being carried out in 19 crops. They are rice, wheat, cotton, potato, banana, tomato, rapeseed, mustard, coffee, tobacco, eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower, melon, citrus fruit, black gram, groundnut, chickpea and pigeon pea.

"Four kinds of tracts are being tackled: Resistance to attacks by insect pests, viral and fungal diseases (biotic stress); drought tolerance, water logging and salinity; and delayed ripening and increasing shelf life", the report said.

Referring to Bt cotton, it said over 60 per cent of the 62 lakh hectares under hybrid seeds were GM strains, and a study had revealed gains to the tune of Rs 11,000 a hectare.

On Bt brinjal (egg plant), the report said it could be the next important biotech crop with several public institutions and private companies developing improved drought tolerant varieties, adding that two private firms have developed strains to control fruit and shoot borer.

While transgenic tomato is aimed at curbing damage from leaf curl virus and other infections such as buck eye rot of fruits, septoria and early blight, transgenic potato, being developed by public institutions, was yet to attract the private sector’s attention.

Stating that much attention was being paid to research on GM rice, Rabo India said the aim was to develop saline and drought tolerant varieties, but no GM strain had been commercially released. However, developments relating to the “Golden” rice will have a significant impact on India, it said.

GM wheat was under development at the South Campus of the Delhi University, while a host of other crops were being developed by public and private sector. "The future of transgenic seeds will see many private companies entering into the transgenic seed market in India. Many companies are developing agronomically important crops, " it said.

On the challenges faced by the industry, the report said intellectual property was one of the deterrents to growth of the biotech industry, as foreign players feel there was not sufficient patent protection and access to patent litigation in the country. "However, this perception has recently changed to a great extent", it said.

On the biotech sector’s growth, the Rabo India said during 2006-07, the agri-biotech industry’s revenue was Rs 926 crore, while it clocked an annual growth of 55 per cent.

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