Coalition for a GM-Free India demands halt to gene-edited rice and sheep releases, calls for robust regulation

By A Representative 

The Coalition for a GM-Free India, a national platform advocating for safe and sustainable agriculture, has called for the immediate withdrawal of two gene-edited rice varieties, Kamala (DRR Dhan 100) and Pusa DST Rice 1, along with gene-edited sheep, in a letter addressed to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. The coalition argues that these varieties, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), lack adequate safety testing and pose significant risks to human health, the environment, and India’s agricultural sovereignty.

In the letter, signed by co-convenors Kavitha Kuruganti and Rajesh Krishnan and endorsed by over 80 scientists, doctors, and researchers, the coalition criticizes the government’s decision to release the rice varieties without rigorous regulatory oversight. The varieties, developed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, were announced on May 4, 2025, as India’s first genome-edited crops, aimed at improving yield, drought tolerance, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the coalition contends that the technology is imprecise and could lead to unintended genetic mutations, potentially producing toxic or allergenic proteins.

The coalition highlights scientific evidence showing that gene-editing tools, including SDN-1 and SDN-2 techniques used in the rice varieties, can cause off-target mutations and unintentional insertion of foreign genetic material, such as plasmids and antibiotic-resistant marker genes. These concerns are compounded by the 2022 deregulation of SDN-1 and SDN-2 under India’s biosafety regulations, which exempts them from the stringent oversight applied to genetically modified (GM) crops. The coalition argues that the Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBSCs) tasked with self-regulation face conflicts of interest, effectively rendering the process equivalent to deregulation.

The letter also raises alarms about the threat to India’s rice export markets, particularly in the Middle East, where consumer sentiment favors non-GM and organic rice. With India being the world’s largest rice producer, the coalition warns that introducing gene-edited varieties could jeopardize the $1.2 billion organic rice export market and contaminate the country’s diverse rice germplasm, a critical asset for climate resilience.

Additionally, the coalition questions the intellectual property rights (IPR) surrounding the gene-editing tools used, noting a lack of transparency about their origins and potential proprietary constraints. This could undermine farmers’ seed sovereignty and lead to economic losses, as seen in past cases like Bt cotton. The coalition also dismisses claims that these varieties will reduce rice cultivation area, arguing that higher-yielding traditional and conventionally bred varieties already exist and that policy incentives, not productivity, drive paddy expansion.

The letter further emphasizes cultural concerns, noting that rice holds spiritual significance in India as “akshat” (unbroken and whole) in rituals. The deletion of 366 base pairs in Pusa DST Rice 1 and 33 base pairs in Kamala through gene editing is seen as compromising this sanctity.

The coalition urges the government to:

1. Immediately withdraw the planned release of Kamala, Pusa DST Rice 1, and gene-edited sheep, and publicly share all related data for scientific scrutiny.

2. Reinstate full regulation of all gene-editing techniques under GMO frameworks, reversing the exemption of SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories.

The letter, copied to Union Ministers Bhupender Yadav, Jitendra Singh, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, reflects growing concerns among scientists and activists about the risks of gene-edited crops.