Farmers body pleads to Modi to not allow GM crops, US dairy products into India

“The introduction of GM crops through trade channels should be non-negotiable for India. It will violate national laws,” ASHA Kisan Swaraj said. 
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ANINDITO MUKHERJEE

The Alliance for a Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) Kisan Swaraj, an alliance of farmers’ associations and agricultural scientists promoting sustainable agriculture, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to allow the import of genetically modified (GM) crops and US milk and dairy products into India.

“We write to you with grave concern over reports that the Government of India, which is engaged in final negotiations for a trade agreement with the United States, is under pressure to allow the import of GM crops and US milk and dairy products into India.

“We strongly urge you to stand firm and unequivocally reject any such move, which would have serious and irreparable implications for India’s agriculture, biosafety, public health, rural livelihoods, and seed and food sovereignty,” Kavitha Kuruganti and Ananthasayanan, leaders of ASHA Kisan Swaraj, have said.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, they said that the country had consistently resisted the commercial cultivation and import of GM food crops backed by “scientific caution, legal safeguards, and public opposition”.

“The introduction of GM crops through trade channels should be non-negotiable for India. It will violate national laws such as the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The regulatory regime does not permit import, sale, or cultivation without explicit biosafety testing and approval,” they said.

Importing GM corn, soy, or any such commodity would be a direct subversion of this legal framework, they contended.

They argued that the country had never negotiated on GM crops in any of its trade deals. “Allowing them now will weaken domestic regulatory institutions, erode judicial credibility, and give multinational corporations leverage to shape Indian food policy in future trade negotiations,” ASHA Kisan Swaraj said.

It also pointed out that the long-term health and ecological impacts of GM crops remain contested globally.

“Most countries across the world, to this day, have imposed bans or strict restrictions, and don’t allow GM crop cultivation. India, home to immense biodiversity and smallholder-based food systems, cannot afford such irreversible risks,” it said.

US dairy products

It felt that permitting US milk and dairy imports poses multiple dangers to both consumer safety and rural livelihoods.

“US dairy is still often produced with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), banned in most countries. India has prohibited rBGH use,” it said.

Flooding the market with subsidised, industrial US dairy would displace livelihoods, dismantle local economies, and deepen rural distress as over 10 crore households depended on the dairy sector.

Published on July 1, 2025