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New Delhi: A group of ten of India’s most distinguished agricultural scientists — including three Padma Bhushan and two Padma Shri awardees — have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his urgent intervention to get the stay on genetically modified (GM) mustard vacated on priority.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had approved the environmental release of GM mustard on October 25, 2022 for hybrid seed production, including the first hybrid DMH-11, with ICAR-led post-release trials and pollinator studies. However, the Supreme Court, acting on a Public Interest Litigation, issued an oral order on November 3, 2022, halting field trials. A subsequent split verdict in August 2024 — one judge backing the release on scientific grounds and the other quashing it — has left the matter in limbo, with the stay order continuing.

The scientists, including Dr R.S. Paroda, Dr G. Padmanaban, Prof R.B. Singh, and Dr B.S. Dhillon, warned that the country has already lost two critical years since regulatory approval in 2022, denying farmers the benefits of a made-in-India technology. Missing the upcoming mid-October 2025 sowing window, they cautioned, would mean another wasted season for collecting data, advancing hybrid development, and paving the way for commercial release to farmers.

In their joint appeal, the experts underlined that India has achieved global recognition in agricultural biotechnology, with ICAR’s release of two genome-edited rice lines being hailed as a world-first. Yet, GM mustard progress remains stalled despite MoEF&CC clearance.

They pointed out that the barnase–barstar gene system used in GM mustard hybrids has been safely deployed in rapeseed hybrids across Canada, the USA, and Australia for decades, without any adverse health or ecological impacts. All biosafety evaluations conducted in India, they emphasised, have also found no negative effects.

The signatories urged the Prime Minister to ensure coordinated efforts between the government’s legal team and relevant ministries so that MoEF&CC’s decision is upheld in court. They stressed that a policy framework for GM crops already exists, and timely implementation is vital to boost mustard productivity and achieve Atmanirbharta in edible oils.

The joint letter has been signed by:

• Dr R.S. Paroda, former DG, ICAR and Chairman, Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS)

• Dr G. Padmanaban, former Director, IISc Bangalore

• Prof R.B. Singh, former IARI Director and former ADG, FAO Asia-Pacific

• Dr B.S. Dhillon, former Vice-Chancellor, PAU Ludhiana

• Dr C.D. Mayee, former Chairman, ASRB

• Dr Sudhir Sopory, former Vice-Chancellor, JNU

• Dr N.K. Singh, National Professor, B.P. Pal Chair in Genetics & Plant Breeding

• Dr Ashok K. Singh, former Director, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi

• Dr Anupam Varma, former President, World Society for Virology and former ICAR National Professor

• Dr J.L. Karihaloo, former Director, ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi