No proposal to ban GM field trials: Ramesh

"There is no proposal to ban the field trials and research of GM crops in the country as the prescribed stipulations are adequate to avoid contamination of soil and traditional crops," he told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Ramesh said all the field trials are subject to stringent norms such as maintaining a crop specific isolation distance from the periphery of the experimental site to other sexually compatible fields as prescribed under the Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards.

The trials are also subject to biological barrier by planting border rows all around the experimental plot; submission of a validated event specific test protocol of 0.01 per cent before undertaking the trials; and post harvest restrictions, he said.

"The prescribed stipulations are adequate to minimise contamination of soil and other traditional crops due to gene flow, if any," Ramesh said.The minister said following a direction from the Supreme Court, it was clarified that field trials form an integral part of research and development of GM crops.