U.S. Tops As Largest GM Crops Cultivator, India At 4th Rank

Bangalore: In a country like India where agriculture contributes around 70 percent of the country’s revenue, genetically modified (GM) crops are now increasingly cultivated by the agriculturists for India’s immense population. According to the latest survey carried out by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, India is the fourth world's largest cultivator of genetically modified (GM) crops, reports Deccan Herald. The country produced three times more than what China sows.

With a massive production of 70 million hectares under genetically modified crops like maize, soybean, cotton, canola, sugar beet, alfalfa, papaya and squash, super power nation, U.S. is the largest grower of GM crops followed by Brazil, Argentina and India.

The survey further claimed that as of 2013, Indian cultivator genetically engineered Bt cotton in 11 million hectares (ha) of land with an adoption rate of 95 percent.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Indian Science Congress in Jammu recently said, “While safety must be ensured, we should not succumb to unscientific prejudices against Bt crops. Our government remains committed to promoting the use of these new technologies for agriculture development,” reports Deccan Herald.

Also Read:
Revealed: World's 10 Most Admired Icons 2014
South Is India's Safest Destination For Working Women