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Food insecurity and undernourishment are currently among the most serious anxieties for human health. As the world’s population goes on to increase, there is an increase in demand for food. Since the arable land is not rising, we need to find an alternative solution for food security to meet the demand of growing population which would reach about 9.9 billion by 2050. Moreover, there is the crucial need to curb crop loss due to pests that alone accounts for approximately 20–40 per cent of the total crop loss throughout the world. Conventional plant breeding can no longer be a solution to the ever-rising global food requirement. In this context, a modern plant biotechnological tool is proving to be a powerful alternative to conventional methods for meeting worldwide demand for quality food. Due to the opportunities offered by genetically modified (GM) technology, we have the solution that is potentially helpful in mitigating global food security needs to a very great extent in the coming years. GM crops are plants that have been modified, using genetic engineering, to alter their DNA sequences to provide some significant beneficial traits.
Some benefits of genetic engineering in agriculture are increased crop yields, reduced costs for food or drug production, reduced need for pesticides, enhanced nutrient composition and food quality, resistance to pests and disease. Investments have also been made in developing crops that mature faster and tolerate aluminium, boron, salt, drought, frost, and other environmental stressors, allowing plants to grow in conditions where they might not otherwise flourish.
Bangladesh got connected to the list of the GM-crop cultivating countries in 2014 introducing Bt brinjal, the first GM food crop in South Asia. In Bt brinjal, a cry protein gene from bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is infixed into the brinjal cultivars to alter their DNA sequences to develop resistance against Fruit and Shoot Borer. The growing of Bt brinjal has helped farmers dramatically reduce their use of pesticides, and it also earns a better price at the market due to its high quality. Bangladesh has also started growing Bt cotton which will increase local cotton production by 7.5 times.
USA, Brazil, Argentina, India and Canada are the leading producers of GM crops. GM crops grown commercially in different countries are potato, squash, pumpkin, alfalfa, brinjal, sugar beet, papaya, canola, soya bean, maize, rice, straw berries, cotton and tomato.
On an average, GM technology choice has curtailed chemical pesticide use by 37 per cent, boost crop yields by 22 per cent, and increased farmer earnings by 68 per cent. Yield gains and pesticide reductions are larger for insect-resistant crops than for herbicide-tolerant crops.
High population density along with existing increasing population trends, expansion of urbanisation and industrialisation has made a significant pressure on our cultivable land. The technology has been changing the country through advancement in agriculture. High yielding varieties, modern mechanisation and management are the key factors. The breeding and marker-assisted selection has been playing a pivotal role in agriculture. Genetic Engineering has made this reproduction procedure more efficient and less time-consuming. The country is currently capable to produce sufficient food that can cater to more than double the population of the 1970’s with the equal or less of lands available.
Bangladesh is close to releasing Golden Rice (Vitamin A enriched rice), a transgenic variety, as a gene from maize inserted into paddy. According to the World Health Organisation, one in every five pre-school children in Bangladesh is vitamin A-deficient. Among pregnant women, 23.7 per cent suffer from Vitamin A deficiency. It is expected to herald a new era in combating Vitamin A deficiency (VAD). A genetically engineered potato variety resistant to late blight disease is being cultivated in Bangladesh on pilot basis. By producing a disease-resistant variety, farmers will be able to reduce their use of fungicides and increase their yields.
Global food shortage can be substantially cut if governments and international organisations apply extensive policy changes in favour of resource redistribution, poverty reduction, and food security. GM crops alone will not solve the hunger problem, but they can be an important factor in a broader food security policy. However, GM crops and related technologies are likely to consolidate control over agriculture by large producers and agro-industrial companies, to the detriment of smaller farmers.
There are several ways to encourage the uptake:1) enhancing investment in research and innovation for agricultural biotechnology, 2) educating and training scientists, 3) getting local scientists involved in setting the research agenda, 4) exchanging ideas and information across different levels of government, 5) creating awareness through communication of the evidence of benefits, 6) aligning policy, research and science communication.
Dr. Md. Ruhul Amin, Vice President & Head of Agriculture Investment Division, Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC Head Offfice, Dhaka