India imposes import restrictions on GMOs

From the beginning of 2021, international traders will have to prove that certain agricultural commodities are GMO-free before importing them. This has just been decreed by the Indian Food Safety Authority FSSAI.

The new import restrictions apply 24 commodities among them wheat, potatoes, maize, soybeans, rapeseed, sugar beet, lucerne, rice and linseed.

The Authority's order states that each consignment should be accompanied by an appropriate certificate "issued by the competent national authority of the exporting country". This is to ensure that only GMO-free plant products are imported into India, at least until new rules on GMOs have been adopted by the Indian government.

It remains to be seen how this order will be reflected in the global trading environment, especially since India itself cultivates GMO crops on a considerable scale (e.g. cotton).

AGROLAB offers a comprehensive range of GMO screening, identification and partly quantification for major agricultural raw materials.

Author: Frank Moersberger