Roundtable Calls for Science-Based Regulatory Reforms to Accelerate Safe Adoption of GM and GE Crops in India

A high‑level roundtable organised by the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) with ICAR and the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) brought together over 80 policymakers, scientists, regulators, industry leaders, economists and international experts to discuss reforms in India’s regulatory framework for genetically modified (GM) and genome‑edited (GE) crops. Participants highlighted that while India’s current multi‑tiered system—spanning the Environment (Protection) Act, Institutional Biosafety Committees, the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, FSSAI and other bodies—has strong biosafety experience, rapid advances such as CRISPR‑Cas and global regulatory shifts demand a more transparent, science‑based, time‑bound and risk‑proportionate approval process. The roundtable called for streamlined regulations to accelerate safe adoption of GM/GE crops for food‑security, climate‑resilience, productivity and farmer‑income gains, and will submit a consolidated policy document to the relevant ministries.