Genetically Engineered Crops In Developing Countries

World population is estimated to increase to 9.5 billion by the year 2050, with 80 per cent living in the developing countries. The additional demand for food on account of increasing population and altered consumption patterns would put more pressure for at least doubling the current levels of food production. Stagnated agricultural production, poor progress in agricultural innovation to increase output, unchecked pre- and post-harvest losses, and the lack of scope for increasing arable land and irrigation, push all countries into a critical phase. It is an urgent necessity for developing countries to implement measures to enhance food production through a more efficient use of land and water and adopting modern technologies to meet with the future demands. In this context, the genetically engineered (GE) crops offer a great promise. Introduced in 1996 on 1.75 million hectares, GE crops were cultivated on 175 million hectares in 27 countries, including 19 developing countries, in 2013. Pest tolerant Bt crops have immensely benefitted such countries as China and India, significantly reducing the application of synthetic pesticides and enhancing crop output to impressive levels. The biosafety and environmental safety of GE crops were demonstrated by about 30 years of research and 18 years of cultivation experience. GE crops are not being projected as an exclusive solution to meet the future demands on food, but only as the most efficient of modern technologies. A judicious combination of integrated pest management and improved technologies that lead to new generation crops with enhanced nutritional potential is the need of the hour. This volume contains 13 reviews on the current global position on various scientific issues and interrelated societal and political matters relevant to the development of GE crops in developing countries. There is a focus on the control of crop viral diseases, an area that did not receive its due. This volume is designed to address politicians, policy makers, bureaucracy, young scientists, students, teachers, the general public and more importantly the judiciary and the media, to project the factual position on the safety and benefits of GE crops and to counter the misinformation that is being spread to mould governmental policy and public opinion against GE crop technology.