India GM crop regulatory reform roundtable

A high-level roundtable convened by the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) in collaboration with the India — Indian Council of Medical Research (ICAR) and the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (FSII) called for science-based regulatory reforms and faster approval processes for genetically modified (GM) and genome-edited (GE) crops in India. The event, held in New Delhi on July 26, 2026, brought together over 80 participants including policymakers, scientists, regulators, and industry leaders. Participants reached a broad consensus that India's biotechnology regulatory system should be made more efficient, transparent, and globally competitive while maintaining high biosafety standards. They emphasized that the regulatory framework must evolve to keep pace with advances in biotechnology, particularly genome editing, and that timely adoption of safe GM and GE crops is vital for enhancing climate resilience, productivity, nutritional security, farmer incomes, and global competitiveness. The recommendations will be compiled into a policy document for submission to concerned ministries and regulatory authorities.