Accelerating the commercialization of home-grown genetically engineered crops

Abstract

Transgenic crops offer the state-of-the-art, and yet simple-to-use technologies for sustainable enhancement of agricultural productivity. During the last 20 years, several research groups in India have developed capabilities in genetic engineering of crop plant species and some of them have isolated promising genes and promoters, with potential for commercialization. However, isolated growth of researchers, limited R&D infrastructure and knowledge base available in the seed industry, and the regulatory processes involved in the release of transgenic cultivars pose serious challenges to accelerating the conversion of such leads into field crops. There is an urgent need to evolve efficient managerial approaches for developing and advancing genetically engineered cultivars into Indian agriculture. This article emphasizes the need to identify the most promising transgenics and genes available in the country, evaluate the related intellectual property issues and provide unstinted support to accelerate the process of their commercialization. An approach that would synergize public-public and public-private partnerships needs to be evolved. Initially, it may be driven by public sector through crop- and trait-specific consortia, comprising researchers and the seed industry. A few of such examples should be taken to the stage of clearance by GEAC for unregulated release of indigenously developed transgenic cultivars. These would then serve as role models and catalyse the formation of need-based teams and lasting partnerships, needed to usher Indian agriculture into a globally competitive phase of sustainable productivity.