. NEW DELHI: With a fresh round of trade negotiations between India and the US beginning in Washington, the Coalition for a GM-Free India — a network of farmers and civil society organisations — on Monday wrote to the central govt, urging it not to allow imports of genetically modified (GM) cotton seed oil, animal feed dried distillers’ grains (DDGs) and soybean oil into India from the US.In its detailed letter to several Union ministers, including commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, the Coalition also urged them not to allow elimination of GM as a non-tariff trade barrier. The US has long been asking India to address the issue of non-tariff barriers in trade in American food and agricultural products.The Coalition argued that allowing these imports would constitute backdoor entry of GM food in India when the domestic law explicitly prohibits it, and will lead to legitimisation of transgenic food.Though India could protect its ground by not allowing import of corn (maize) and soybean (both genetically modified crops in the US) in an interim agreement on Feb 7, it agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on a wide range of American agricultural products, including DDGs and soybean oil.The move was criticised by farm organisations who flagged how DDGs would mostly come from genetically modified American corn.In its letter, the Coalition flagged how different American organisations have been pushing for opening up the Indian market for GM farm products directly or indirectly, and urged the govt to step away from all bodies which are promoting US interests for GM crops in India under their MoUs with US pro-GM outfits.“These entities are nothing less than new-age East India Companies, setting presence in India and working to open India’s markets for American GM produce, and erode our sovereignty,” it said.About the AuthorVishwa MohanVishwa Mohan is Senior Editor at The Times of India. He writes on environment, climate change, agriculture, water resources and clean energy, tracking policy issues and climate diplomacy. He has been covering Parliament since 2003 to see how politics shaped up domestic policy and India’s position at global platform. Before switching over to explore sustainable development issues, Vishwa had covered internal security and investigative agencies for more than a decade.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosUdhampur Bus Tragedy Kills 21; Political Row Erupts Over I-Pac In Bengal | WatchIndia, Ukraine Security Pact In Works? Zelenskyy Signals Big Move Amid Russia Ukraine WarUnmanned Mine Counter Measure Vessels Take Lead In Demining OperationsIndia-South Korea Mega Deal: PM Modi & Lee Jae Myung Target 50 Billion Trade, Boost TiesFire Erupts At Rajasthan’s HPCL Refinery Ahead Of PM Modi’s Launch EventNSA Doval Meets Top Saudi Leaders, Focus On Security And EnergyFact Check: No, Indian Navy Did NOT Detain Somali Pirates In Viral VideoTMC Hits Out At PM Modi Over Jhalmuri Stop, Claims Hemant Soren Forced To ReturnTMC vs Himanta Biswa Sarma Erupts As Mamata Banerjee Row Sparks Election Commission ComplaintManipur Erupts In Anger As No Arrests Made After 5 Killings, Protests Turn Violent123PhotostoriesThese are the only 5 nations in the world that begin with letter “D” and each tells a unique storyAre you a traveller who loves to buy gold? 5 largest gold-producing countries in the world where gold can be cheaperPriyanka and Rahul Gandhi spotted relishing Gelato: What is Gelato and how is it different from ice cream and other frozen desserts10 Vedic baby girl names that begin with letter VJitendra Kumar, Aniruddh Agarwal, Amol Parashar to Vipul Goyal: Actors who swapped engineering degrees for stardomWhy non-vegetarian thali has become cheaper than vegetarian thaliDoes your home breathe? 5 lessons to learn from the timeless beauty of Chettinad interiorsGurgaon SPR bottleneck sparks urgent road expansion, missing link reopened7 morning affirmations that work for sure (why are they so powerful)Best exercises for liver health, according to expert: How walking, strength training, and HIIT can reduce fatty liver123Hot PicksIran warDelimitation Bill DefeatPurple cap winnerOrange cap winnerIPL Points TablePublic holidays April 2026Bank Holidays AprilTop TrendingBan vs NZKanpur MurderAndhra Pradesh Bomb ExplodeKanpur Rape CaseTCS Nashik CaseJammu Bus AccidentAndhra Pradesh MurderLucknow Girl MurderTamil Nadu Firecracker Unit BlastJapan Earthquake
NEW DELHI: With a fresh round of trade negotiations between India and the US beginning in Washington, the Coalition for a GM-Free India — a network of farmers and civil society organisations — on Monday wrote to the central govt, urging it not to allow imports of genetically modified (GM) cotton seed oil, animal feed dried distillers’ grains (DDGs) and soybean oil into India from the US.In its detailed letter to several Union ministers, including commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, the Coalition also urged them not to allow elimination of GM as a non-tariff trade barrier. The US has long been asking India to address the issue of non-tariff barriers in trade in American food and agricultural products.The Coalition argued that allowing these imports would constitute backdoor entry of GM food in India when the domestic law explicitly prohibits it, and will lead to legitimisation of transgenic food.Though India could protect its ground by not allowing import of corn (maize) and soybean (both genetically modified crops in the US) in an interim agreement on Feb 7, it agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on a wide range of American agricultural products, including DDGs and soybean oil.The move was criticised by farm organisations who flagged how DDGs would mostly come from genetically modified American corn.In its letter, the Coalition flagged how different American organisations have been pushing for opening up the Indian market for GM farm products directly or indirectly, and urged the govt to step away from all bodies which are promoting US interests for GM crops in India under their MoUs with US pro-GM outfits.“These entities are nothing less than new-age East India Companies, setting presence in India and working to open India’s markets for American GM produce, and erode our sovereignty,” it said.
