Environmental activist Aruna Rodrigues has called for legal action against the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the commercial release of two herbicide-tolerant (HT) Basmati rice varieties without the necessary approval from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). In a letter to the Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Rodrigues claimed the release of these varieties violated the 1989 rules governing genetically engineered organisms. She also sent a legal notice to the ministry, alleging the action breached a recent Supreme Court judgment.
The HT rice varieties in question, Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985, were developed through conventional mutation breeding, which ICAR scientists maintain does not involve genetic modification and thus does not require GEAC approval. These varieties are designed to tolerate herbicides like Imazethapyr, which helps reduce weeds, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. However, Rodrigues and other environmentalists argue that the introduction of these varieties could harm India’s organic rice export market and contend that HT crops pose environmental risks, as highlighted by the Supreme Court-appointed Technical Expert Committee (TEC).
In response, scientists involved in developing the HT rice varieties refute the allegations, emphasizing that their work followed conventional breeding methods and did not involve genetic modification. They argue that the TEC’s recommendations apply specifically to genetically modified HT crops, not to non-GMO HT varieties like those developed. The scientists also noted that while the varieties were developed in 2021, commercial release was delayed until 2024 due to the need for Central Insecticides Board registration, which has now been obtained.
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