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Context:
A group of eminent scientists under the banner of the ‘Agricultural Scientists Manch’ has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns over the recent release of India’s first genetically edited rice varieties developed using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
Key Concerns
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- The scientists warned that IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) issues around CRISPR-Cas9 could undermine the benefits to Indian farmers, potentially making them dependent on foreign seed technologies.
- While acknowledging the precision of CRISPR-Cas9, they cautioned that off-target effects could lead to undesirable consequences.
- There is concern that large-scale cultivation could contaminate India’s native rice germplasm.
- The letter claims that the released rice varieties were cleared without sufficient evaluation.
Released Varieties
The two genome-edited rice varieties, released last month, are:
- ‘Kamala–DRR Dhan-100’
- ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’
These varieties mark a major technological leap in Indian agriculture, with the government framing them as part of a sustainable future in rice cultivation.
