Environmental activist urges legal action against ICAR for HT rice varieties

By Jitendra Choubey

Environment activist Aruna Rodrigues has written a letter to Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav, urging him to initiate criminal proceedings against the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the commercial release of two controversial herbicide-tolerant (HT) Basmati rice varieties without the approval of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

Rodrigues, who has been leading a petition for a moratorium on genetically modified organisms (GMO) for the past 20 years, claims that the release of these HT rice varieties is illegal under the “Rules for the Manufacture, Use/Import/Export, and Storage of Hazardous Micro-organisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, 1989.” On August 8, she also sent a legal notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) alleging a violation of a recent apex court judgment.

In May, ICAR commercially launched two HT aromatic rice varieties – Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985. The varieties, developed using a conventional mutation breeding process, have been promoted as non-GMO by ICAR scientists. They are designed to tolerate herbicides such as Imazethapyr, which can effectively eliminate potent weeds and reduce water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Rodrigues and other environmentalists have urged the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, to retract the HT rice varieties, arguing that their introduction could threaten India’s organic rice export market.

The Technical Expert Committee (TEC) appointed by the Apex Court had recommended a complete ban on HT crops due to their potential hazardous effects on the environment. Rodrigues’ lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, has cited this recommendation in his complaint, asserting that the new rice varieties were released without necessary GEAC approval.

However, scientists involved in the development of the HT rice varieties reject these allegations. They argue that since the varieties were developed through conventional mutation breeding and not genetic modification, GEAC approval was not required. The scientists further clarify that the TEC’s recommendations pertain specifically to HT crops in the GMO context and not to non-GMO HT varieties.

“The two rice varieties are developed through a conventional mutation breeding process, so no genetic modification happened,” said an anonymous scientist involved in the development. He added that while the varieties were developed in 2021, commercial release required Central Insecticides Board registration, which was only obtained in 2024.

“I have already responded to queries from ICAR regarding the complaint. ICAR will discuss all these in court at the appropriate time,” the scientist concluded.

This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.