The Coalition for a GM-Free India on Thursday alleged that the trial outcomes for 2 genome-edited rice varieties — Pusa DST-1 and DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) — have been rigged and hyped to fabricate false claims of success. Quoting Annual Reviews (2023 and 2024) of ICAR’s All India Coordinated Analysis Challenge (AICRP) on rice, it stated, the ICAR’s conclusions instantly contradict its personal knowledge.
Briefing media, the Coalition members accused the Indian Council of Agricultural Analysis (ICAR) and the Ministry of Agriculture of perpetrating a “scientific fraud” within the promotion of genome-edited rice varieties.
The 2 genome-edited rice varieties had been introduced by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Might 4 as a worldwide first achievement.
“As has grow to be the behavior with biotech lobbies within the nation, seen earlier with Bt brinjal and GM mustard, science is but once more being compromised to push some genome-edited varieties as miracle seeds for India,” the coalition stated in an announcement.
No testing knowledge
Pusa DST-1 (IET 32043) was claimed to outperform its non-GM father or mother MTU-1010 below saline and alkaline soils whereas DRR Dhan 100 ‘Kamala’ (IET 32072), derived from BPT 5204, was declared to yield 17 per cent larger and mature 20 days earlier, having larger nitrogen effectivity.
However, the Coalition stated that based on AICRP report, Pusa DST-1 confirmed no testing knowledge for claimed drought or salinity tolerance in 2023 because of “restricted seed amount.” In the identical yr’s trial, Pusa DST-1 additionally confirmed at-par or 4.8 per cent decrease yield in comparison with father or mother MTU-1010, and underperformed in 12 of 20 websites.
In 2024, the identical Pusa DST-1 selection confirmed no yield benefit in coastal or inland salinity trials, however just one.6 per cent acquire in alkaline soils. But, the abstract desk claims “30 per cent larger yield”, selectively drawing on outcomes from simply 8 places in a single zone, the Coalition alleged.
4% decrease imply yield
For DRR Dhan 100, the Coalition claimed that it underperformed in 8 of 19 trial websites and carried out considerably worse than its father or mother in two zones (jap and central), although the yield acquire was 4.3 per cent within the south zone in 2023 trials. Subsequent yr, knowledge from a number of websites had been excluded with out clarification, and outcomes from 6 websites had been used to challenge a 17.21 per cent larger yield, the Coalition stated.
Members of the Coalition stated that no printed area knowledge helps the declare of 20 days earlier maturity, and the general imply yield was 4 per cent decrease than the father or mother selection BPT 5204. “General imply DFF for Kamala is 101 days and for BPT 5204 is 104 days,” the assertion stated.
Impartial researcher Soumik Banerjee stated: “If the expertise getting used is actually secure, exact and efficient, there needs to be no hesitation in placing out all knowledge and conducting correct testing, as is completed for all GMOs.” Famous activist and anti-GM Coalition member Kavitha Kuruganti sought instant withdrawal of all promotional claims about genome-edited rice varieties and an impartial scientific evaluate of ICAR’s trial knowledge and methodology.
Revealed on October 30, 2025
