Genome-Edited Varieties of Rice Receives Nod from DKMA

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched two varieties of rice on May 4— DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala), developed by Indian Institute of Rice Research in Hyderabad and Pusa Rice DST1 developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. These two varieties of rice were claimed to have less potential of consuming water, increase production, and reduce costs. However, a recent carried on the pages of DH on May 5, 2025, ‘Coalition for GM-Free India’ raised concerns about the genetically modified varieties of rice.

Genome-Edited Varieties of Rice

The central government dismissed the concerns related to gene-edited two varieties of rice, DKMA released a clarification that that r-DNA technology lacks public acceptance ‘baseless’, while justifying Centre’s exemptions to SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories of genome-edited plants. “So far, only Bt cotton was available to the farmers, and more than 90% farmers adopted the technology soon after it was made available,” the director said, while defending gene-editing as an extension of mutation breeding.

The director stated that there were satisfactory and enough safety mechanisms to review the safety of plants under the SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories, pointing to the standard operating procedures. More than 30 agriculture-based countries have exempted the plants under two categories from stringent biosafety regulations.  The statement also said that gene-edited crops were safe. “In relative terms, the risks and uncertainties of genome editing are lower than the risks and uncertainties of conventional random mutagenesis which makes use of radiation or chemicals to induce genetic changes,” the statement said, citing an analysis published by the EU in 2022.

DKMA director also issued a clarification on reports claiming that the introduction of GM rice impacting India’s rice exports, especially to the European Union. the director said the two varieties were non-Basmati category. “The EU is an insignificant importer of non-Basmati rice from India... If it is a matter of concern in the EU, the country can afford to lose the EU market in the larger interest of Indian farmers and consumers,” it said.