CHALLENGES TO THE ADOPTION OF MODERN CROP BIOTECHNOLOGY: INSIGHTS FROM INDIAN AND MALAYSIAN GM REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS

JASDEEP KAUR DARSAN  SINGH; NURZATIL SHARLEEZA MAT  JALALUDDIN; NEETI  SANAN-MISHRA; JENNIFER ANN  HARIKRISHNA

doi:10.55230/mabjournal.v49i5.1632

Authors

JASDEEP KAUR DARSAN SINGH Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Level 3, Research Management and Innovation Complex, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NURZATIL SHARLEEZA MAT JALALUDDIN Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Level 3, Research Management and Innovation Complex, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NEETI SANAN-MISHRA International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, Delhi 110067, India
JENNIFER ANN HARIKRISHNA
jennihari@um.edu.my
Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Level 3, Research Management and Innovation Complex, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Keywords:

Biosafety, regulation, GM crop, biotechnology, Malaysia, India

Abstract

The emerging use of genetic engineering technology led to the establishment of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in 2001. India and Malaysia are signatories to the Protocol, having established regulatory measures governing the use of biotechnological genetic modification including regulation of genetically engineered crops from research to open cultivation and post-market surveillance. India and Malaysia have developed biosafety policies that display some similarities but also many differences, consequently impacting the practicalities of applying the technology to development and deployment of new crop varieties. The objective of this paper is to compare biosafety policies and regulatory frameworks that India and Malaysia have in place for the use of modern biotechnology. We highlight the implications of imposing rigid requirements as well as lacking harmonized policies on the approval process and trade flows, identifying these as potential barriers to the optimal use of modern crop biotechnology. We also briefly discuss how current interpretations of Living Modified Organisms and Genetically Modified Organisms in India and Malaysia will influence the pace of crops developed from new plant breeding techniques and propose options to regulate these technologies based on experience from other countries.