Farm groups and civil societies urge govt not to agree imports of GM farm products amid fresh round of India-US trade talks | India News
New Delhi: As a new round of trade talks between India and the US begins in Washington, the Coalition for a GM-Free India – a network of farmers and civil society organizations – wrote to the central government on Monday, requesting India not to allow imports of genetically modified (GM) cottonseed oil, dry oil in animal feed and dry oil from the US.In its detailed letter to several Union ministers, including Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, the alliance urged them not to allow GM to be dropped as a non-tariff trade barrier. The US has long been asking India to resolve non-tariff barriers to trade in American food and agricultural products.
The coalition argued that allowing these imports would allow a backdoor entry of GM food into India when domestic law expressly prohibits it, and would legalize transgenic food.Although India could protect its territory by not allowing imports of corn (maize) and soybeans (both US genetically modified crops) in an interim deal on February 7, it has agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on a wide range of American agricultural products, including DDG and soybean oil.The move was criticized by farm organizations who flagged how DDGs would mostly come from genetically modified American corn.In its letter, the coalition flagged how various American companies are directly or indirectly pushing to open the Indian market to GM farm products and urged the government to withdraw from all companies that are promoting US interests for GM crops in India under their MoUs with US supporters.
the poll
Should India allow import of genetically modified (GM) cottonseed oil from the US?
“These entities are nothing less than new-age East India companies, setting up presence in India and working to open the Indian market to American GM products and undermine our sovereignty,” it said.
