Biotechnology, especially genetic modification has been one of the most controversial technologies in agriculture. The controversy stems from a lot of misunderstanding around the technology and a host of common myths. Let’s look at some of these common myths and the...

Plant health is pivotal to the food that we eat and with rising challenges due to climate change, it has become more important to ensure that health of plants are maintained for sustainable crop production. To bring attention to the issue, the Food and Agriculture...

  The Philippines ended 2019 with a progressive step, when they became the first country with Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) to approve GM golden rice for cultivation and consumption, making it a landmark judgement. The government report stated that Golden rice is safe...

According to the latest report by ISAAA, “The State of Commercialization of GM Crops: 2018”, biotechnology was the fastest adopted crop technology in the world, as biotech crops increased almost 113 times since 1996. With an accumulated biotech area of 2.5 billion...

India needs genetic modification technology in...

Estimated at 110.15 million tonnes, India set a new record in the production of rice in 2016-17 and this is higher than 2015-16 estimates which stood at 104.41 million tonnes. Further, agricultural exports increased from INR 2,27,193 crores in 2012-13 to INR 2,27,554...

Agriculture in the 21st century is facing significant challenges, most importantly the pressure to feed the growing population. Set to reach 9.8 billion people by 2050, the food demand is estimated to increase by 50%. This burden will be passed on to the developing...

It was in October 2013 that Bangladesh took the historic decision of approving the official release of four genetically modified varieties of insect resistant Bt Brinjal for seed production followed by the first commercial plantation in 2014. What started as a...