Genetically Modified Crop Technology

Macro Issues The first chapter in section 1 delves into the politics of biotechnology (read GM technology), juxtaposing the interest of farmers in new technology and “ideational interests of opponents in promulgating risk narratives” around it being “a risky technology uniquely conducive to exploita...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic and political weekly 2020-10
Main Author: Bhavani, R V
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural biotechnology
Agricultural economics
Agricultural production
Agriculture
Corn
Cotton
Economic impact
GDP
Genetically altered foods
Gross Domestic Product
Pesticides
Productivity
Profits
Technology adoption
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Summary:Macro Issues The first chapter in section 1 delves into the politics of biotechnology (read GM technology), juxtaposing the interest of farmers in new technology and “ideational interests of opponents in promulgating risk narratives” around it being “a risky technology uniquely conducive to exploitation of the weak by the strong;” and the moratorium on Bt brinjal announced in 2010 by the government, overriding the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee). The next chapter discusses the competing policy paradigms or set of policies of agricultural biotechnology from public funding of research and IP protection to administrative regulations that interact to regulate the industry and the experience in different countries. The authors, Graff et al, argue that the policy paradigm of the pesticide industry has come to prevail in most countries, given the genetic traits of Bt insect resistance and herbicide tolerance, instead of that of the seed industry that is heavily dependent on public sector research and breeding programmes. Combining the field-level metadata on agronomic performance of Bt cotton with macro data on technology adoption, seed prices and exogenous growth rates across major cultivating states, the paper finds that Bt cotton has increased income levels and generated substantial social gains due to higher yields and lower cost of production due to lower plant protection costs.
ISSN:0012-9976