INDIAN POULTRY SECTOR NEEDS GM CORN/MAIZE TO SURVIVE
Post no-1430 Dt 09/10/2019
Compiled & shared by-DR RAJESH KUMAR SINGH ,JAMSHEDPUR,JHARKHAND, INDIA,
9431309542,rajeshsinghvet@gmail.com
After paddy and wheat, maize is the third most grown cereal crop within India; however, in terms of overall value, it is one of the most important cereal crops of the world. The US and China are the first and second largest producers and consumers of maize. The ever increasing use of maize in Poultry/cattle and feed industry is what puts it apart from other cereal crops globally. The increased use of maize for ethanol production for fuel in US and many European countries adds further value to the crop. Within India unlike various other high value crops, the direct involvement of small and marginal farmers is very intense in the cultivation of maize. Considering the value of output and degree of involvement of maize growers, importance of Maize in Indian poultry sector is immense.
With the poultry sector hit by severe short supply of maize, there is ‘unprecedented’ shortage of feed grade maize (for poultry sector) mainly because of ‘drought, pest attacks and significant reduction in cultivable areas as in Bihar. Due to the short supply of maize, the market price for maize is at its highest point, leaving many farmers to starve their poultry, maize being the most preferred feed.
Maize or corn in Poultry ration———
• Maize is the principal energy source used in poultry diets in most of the countries because of its high-energy value, palatability, presence of pigments and essential fatty acids.
• It contains highest amount of energy (ME 3350 kcal/kg) among cereal grains.
• It has 8-13% of crude protein.
• It has high TDN of 85-90%.
• Maize has low fibre content and is highly palatable.
• Extremely low in calcium and deficient in vitamin B12 but fair in phosphorus content.
• Yellow maize provides carotene and xanthophylls pigments for colouration of egg yolk, poultry fat and skin when it is used at 30% and above in the diet.
• Maize is an excellent source of linoleic acid which contributes for egg size, and maize protein is mainly deficient in tryptophan and lysine.
• Damaged, immature and improperly stored maize having higher moisture content is prone to aspergillus flavus infestation and produces aflatoxin.
• Supplementation of toxin binders in diet containing damaged maize grain is essential to minimize the risk of mycotoxins problem.
• Organic acids should be added to the maize while storing, if the moisture content in the grain is higher than 16%.
• When the maize is used at >30% in pellet diet, supplementation of pellet binders, molasses, rice bran or oil is required for better quality of pellet.
• Maize can be included upto 70% in poultry ration which is approx 70% of the feed cost of the commercial poultry.
The Centre had fixed an MSP of ₹1,700 per quintal for maize for the kharif 2018-19 season. The rising trend in maize prices has brought cheers to the farmers, but has made the consuming industries such as the poultry sector and starch makers jittery, triggering demand for duty-free imports of corn.
Like USA , our Govt. must bring the regulation regarding GM maize for sustainable development of poultry sector.
Maize has become the queen of cereals, courted by state governments, seed companies, farmers and the feedstock and starch industries as the crop of the future. The golden promise of hybrid maize with its high productivity and high returns is luring farmers across the country.There is urgent need of government intervention for policy regulations regarding GM maize in India, if Govt wants to keep the poultry farmers of India alive.
GM Crop-
The anticipated world population growth emphasizes a need to produce more food on less land. Cutting-edge technologies, including genetic engineering, can help to develop improved crop varieties and protect natural resources. In spite of the potential for genetically-modified (GM) crops to make crop production more efficient, they remain a polarizing issue due to safety concerns.
The genetic engineering is one of the great marvels of 21st century human. It allowed for precise control over the genetic changes introduced into an organism. Today, we can incorporate new genes from one species into a completely unrelated species through genetic engineering, optimizing agricultural performance or facilitating the production of valuable pharmaceutical substances. In India, GM plants like GM Cotton, BT Brinjal and GM Mustard are experimented, but the government refused to allow it to be commercialized. Recently, the government of India has examined a proposal on GM mustard seeds despite there being severe opposition to it among environmental activists.
What is Genetically Modified or GM Crops?
Genetically Modified or GM Crops are that type of plants whose DNA has been modified through genetic engineering for imbedding a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.
Advantages of Genetically Modified or GM Crops
1. It improves production and raise farmer’s income. Indian farmers are still practicing traditional process of seeding and cultivation, which required scientific moves for raising their production. Hence, it is one of the moves to enhance the farm production.
2. It reduces the use of pesticide and insecticide during farming that might be great moves for the betterment of the food supply.
3. It can feed a rapidly increasing population because it shows dramatically increased yields.
4. It can produce more in small area of land.
5. India introduced Bt cotton seeds in 2002. It has greatly reduced the use of toxic pesticides. Bt cotton produces a common soil bacterium, Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt). It is a natural pest repelling bacteria that is toxic to many worms and pests that can harm the crop but is not hazardous to humans. Bt is widely sprayed on crops by organic farmers as a pesticide. As a result of the adoption of Bt cotton, India is now the largest cotton producer in the world.
Disadvantages of Genetically Modified or GM Crops
1. The production imposes high risks to the disruption of ecosystem and biodiversity because the “better” traits produced from engineering genes can result in the favouring of one organism. Hence, it can eventually disrupt the natural process of gene flow.
2. It increases the cost of cultivation and more inclined towards marketization of farming that work on immoral profits.
3. The transgenic crops endanger not only farmers but also the trade, and the environment as well.
4. It is biologically altered. Hence, biotech foods may pose a human health risk.
5. The excessive production of genetically modified foods will be rendered ineffective over time because the pests that these toxins used to deter might eventually develop resistance towards them.
GM MAIZE–
GM Maize will be the game changer in the poultry production if our Govt will think of its advantages.
Genetically modified (GM) seeds have emerged as a powerful new technology promising high productivity and lower use of fertilizers, weedicides and pesticides in the last one to two decades and have gained increasing acceptance among farmers around the world. They are likely to play increasingly important role in addressing many of the current problems in agriculture. The most important and so far the only example of this technology in India has been Bt cotton.
The success of Bt cotton in India and many more GM seeds elsewhere in the world testifies to the potential of GM technology in giving a major boost to productivity in agriculture. Nevertheless, GM seeds and technologies have remained controversial in India and other countries. Thirteen years have passed since the introduction of Bt cotton and no scientific evidence of detrimental effects on either Bt cotton users or other crops located in the vicinity of Bt cotton farmers has been produced. But India has not introduced any new GM seeds.
Objections to GM technologies are based on the twin fears that they may harm humans consuming the resulting produce and they may have adverse effects on biodiversity. But no compelling evidence supporting either of these fears has emerged more than two decades after the original introduction of GM foods in 1994. On the contrary, GM technology has proven useful in curtailing the use of pesticide and insecticide in combating pests and diseases. In the Indian context, it also offers the prospects of making crops tolerant to drought, salinity and other abiotic stresses. The fortification of grains and edible oils with vitamin A and modified fatty acid profile are some examples of upstream benefits to consumers. The United States has reaped these benefited for at least one and half decades. Recently, even India has been importing and consuming canola oil made from GM rapeseed with no adverse health effects reported to-date.
There is ongoing controversies and debate in our surroundings on the Use of GMOs whether they are harmful or helpful. But the use of GMOs can only benefit to humans when it is used for increasing the availability and quality of food and medical care, and contributing to a cleaner environment otherwise no use of GMOs.
Facts & myth regarding GMo Chicken—
If a chicken or any other animal eats GMO feed – that does not make the chicken or animal a GMO. Most importantly, there is no food safety—or any other risk—to the health and well-being of consumers when they consume chicken or other animal agriculture products (e.g. chicken, eggs, dairy), which have been raised with genetically modified feed ingredients, as demonstrated through more than 20 years of the widespread use of GMO grains in conventional agriculture. Most importantly, this position is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
And as the population continues to grow – it is projected to increase by more than 2 billion people 2050—the advancement of food science has never been more important than it is today. The advent of GM technology has allowed the agriculture industry to do more with less, which keeps food in the United States and some advanced countries more affordable and more accessible. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not allowed GM foods in India so far.
GM CORN PRODUCTION & CONTROVERSY IN INDIA———
After six years of trials in India, GM corn, not currently allowed in the country, is nearing its final phase, and Monsanto’s Indian subsidiary plans to share those results with the Indian government as a new strategy for expanding crops in the country.
Seeds of doubt———-
The company says the corn is insect and herbicide tolerant and is expected to raise yields by up to 20 percent.
Besides corn, field trials for five other genetically modified crops – eggplant, maize, rice, chickpea and cotton – are currently being conducted in some Indian states.
“Out of 184 million hectares of corn being planted across the world, 30 percent – some 55 million hectares – is already under genetically modified technologies. Seventeen countries are deploying these technologies through their farm feeds,” said Bhagirith Choudhary of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications.
This international non-profit, which shares the benefits of crop biotechnology with various stakeholders, says even small countries like Vietnam have approved the use of Bt and Ht corn to increase the competitiveness of their farmers.
While sections with Prime Minister Narendra Modis’s government argue that allowing GM crops is critical to boost poor farm productivity in the country, farmer organizations and other lobbies oppose its introduction.
Monsanto corn is a source of discord around the world———
What’s more, it has to convince its own conservative groups like the Swadeshi Jagran Manch and the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, both grassroots organizations – to end their opposition to the crops.
Agricultural India became self-sufficient in food grains after the launch of the Green Revolution in the 1960s, when it introduced high-yielding seed varieties and the use of fertilizer and irrigation.
The challenge now is to replicate that success in edible oils and vegetables, which are increasingly in demand.
Opposition to GMO crops
Public resistance to GMOs has been spreading in the country due to the increased prevalence of scientific evidence for the negative impact of GM crops on human health and the environment.
Opponents have expressed concerns about the manner in which seed companies are taking control of the seed sector by using their patented GM seeds.
“Companies like Monsanto and Syngenta – all companies that are involved with plant biotechnology – are indicating that this is a win-win situation and an elixir for humankind,” argues Ashish Gupta from the Organic Farming Association of India.
Gupta pointed out that the socio-economic downsides like horizontal gene transfer and loss of biodiversity are pushed under the “carpet and ignored.”
In 2010, India placed a moratorium on GM eggplant, fearing its effect on food safety and biodiversity. While other GM crops were not banned, the regulatory system was brought to a deadlock.
Some say GM corn will benefit rural farmers in India————–
GM crops are still under debate the world over. Though the issues under debate are usually very similar concerning costs, benefits and safety issues, the outcome of the debate differs from country to country.
With farm holdings shrinking in many parts of India and the migration of farmers to other occupations for a variety of reasons, Choudhary argues that introduction of new technologies is necessary for rural revival.
“If they cannot improve the productivity per unit area, per day sunlight, their income cannot be increased. So it is so important for countries like India that technologies be utilized,” he says.
On the other hand, Ritu Singh, a member of the Coalition for a GM-Free India, does not buy the argument that increasing yields or growing production are doable methods.
“The worry for us is that we will lose all our indigenous varieties if GM comes in. There are farmers who are producing more than the other kinds of random farms while growing organic,” says Singh.
Status of GM maize in India ——-
GM maize is used to manufacture ethanol in countries like the U.S. The residue of grain left over after manufacture of ethanol is DDGS, which is used as animal feed.
DDGS is believed to be not only a cheaper option than traditional feeds such as maize and soya, but also has good nutrient value with high energy.
With non-genetically modified (Non GM) maize not immediately available, the poultry industry has requested the authorities to import GM maize.
India has already permitted import of chicken from the U.S., where the birds are fed on GM maize and soya, after ruling to the effect at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). For this reason, the poultry industry of India is questioning how different it is to allow import of GM maize when the country has already permitted import of U.S. chicken bred on GM maize and soya. GM maize available in abundance globally at a relatively cheaper cost.
A subcommittee constituted by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has already submitted the guidelines for import of Dried Distillers’ Grains with Solubles (DDGS), which is derived out of Genetically Modified (GM) maize and used as animal feed last week. The panel was constituted by the GEAC, which is under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The guidelines for import of DDGS assume significance in the light of poultry industry reeling under a severe shortage of maize to feed their broilers. Drought and pest attack had drastically brought down maize yield across the country.
India allows import of only non-GMO maize, which is not adequately available in the international market and is more expensive its GM counterpart.
Several applications are pending before the government for permission to import DDGS, which is seen as an answer to the growing deficiency of feed for poultry and other livestock, besides fish, in the country.
GM maize protects chickens from deadly virus———
Mexican researchers have genetically modified maize to create an edible vaccine against Newcastle disease, a major killer of poultry in developing countries.
The scientists, who published their findings online in Transgenic Research on 12 August, hope their approach can help small-scale poultry farmers protect their flocks.
Vaccines against the disease that can be given to poultry on food already exist, but are not usually available in the small quantities required by single families or villages.
Octavio Guerrero-Andrade of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV) in Guanajuato and his colleagues inserted a gene from the Newcastle disease virus into maize DNA.
Chickens that ate the genetically modified (GM) maize produced antibodies against the virus. The maize provided a level of protection against infection comparable to that of commercial vaccines.
The disease is important and a big killer,” says Frands Dolberg of the Network for Smallholder Poultry Development, which works with partners in developing countries to promote poultry farming as a way of improving livelihoods.
There is a big problem in delivering the vaccine to the many millions of poor poultry keepers around the world, and the GM maize could be a possibility.
Dolberg says that its success would depend on how accessible the GM maize was to poultry farmers.
But he points out that the poor, the landless and women — the main groups that keep poultry on a small scale in the South — generally struggle to access new technologies.
The impact of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in modern agriculture—————
GM crops can mitigate several current challenges in commercial agriculture. Current market trends project them as one of the fastest growing and innovative global industries, which not only benefit growers but also consumers and major country economies. However, it is imperative that the agricultural industry and science community invest in better science communication and regulation to tackle unethical research and misinformation. Imperfections and major GM technology can also be combated by stricter regulation, monitoring and implementation by government agriculture bodies, a globally improved risk mitigation strategy and communication with growers, therefore ensuring greater acceptance. With key innovation in precision gene-integration technologies and emerging research in biofortification and stress tolerance, GM crops are forecast to bring productivity and profitability in commercial agriculture for smoother progress in the future.
SUGGESTIONS TO GOVT. OF INDIA —–
As we know the proverb ” the necessity is the mother of invention” so we must adopt the new technology of GM crops for maize like BT cotton we have adopted to fullfill the gap of demand and production. we should follow the country like USA and China who has adopted this technology in this area and now they are leader in export.if we see back the major revolution in agriculture i.e green revolution , white revolution for milk production ,we see there how our scientists adopted new technology and as a result we are not only self reliance in the area but become a leader in the export. so our suggestion to the honorable PM Sri NARENDRA MODI JEE and their ministers is that they must come up with a regulation to use GM crops in order to solve the agrarian crisis including lives sector.
