Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said technologies for crop improvement should not be used at the cost of sustainable development.
“World over, crores of poor people are fighting hunger, malnutrition and poverty. To address these issues, science and technology is very important. But while finding solutions to these problems, we should not ignore sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity,” Modi said at the first international conference on agro-biodiversity attended by 900 delegates from 60 countries.
Cautioning against the extinction threat to plant and animal species, he stressed on the need to adopt a ‘shared vision’ for conserving them through focused research and proper management of genetic resources.
Terming pesticides as a major concern in agri ecosystem, Modi said, “The use of pesticide not only kills pests but also those insects necessary for the entire eco-system. Therefore, there is a need to audit developments in science. In the absence of audit, the world is facing various challenges.”
The prime minister’s comments come at a time when commercial release of genetically modified (GM) mustard hybrids are under the government’s considerations. While the loss of biodiversity is not an issue with GM mustard, one of the reasons for not releasing GM brinjal by the UPA government was the fear of loss of brinjal’s biodiversity.