GM or not to GM?

In 2006, the “golden rice” was introduced with genes from daffodils, giving it its yellow color and eventually its name. According to the Times, “consumption of this rice produces the beta-carotene which is converted into Vitamin A by the human body. Deficiency of Vitamin A is a global problem affecting children with blindness and other complications and instead of relying on vitamin tablets, merely eating this rice would prevent Vitamin A deficiency”.

However, after extensive research, such claims were proved false. It was found that the human body was not able to absorb Vitamin A in this form. Moreover, cultivation of the “golden rice” required heavy use of pesticides and a large amount of water – this proved to be a problem in poverty-stricken areas where water shortage in itself is a major issue.

 In 2011, the world saw an 8% increase in food production roughly estimating up to 160 million hectares of biotech crops. Though most of these crops were used to feed the livestock, they also took up significant portions of all the processed food sold to humans. GM crops undergo extensive testing to make sure they are safe for human consumption. 

Though the biotech industries have claimed to create a hunger-free world, it depends on the motives of large corporations which have control over the industries. The major driving force behind the production of GM crops is money. Most people remain hungry not because of lack of food, but due to the fact that they can’t afford them. Capitalism driven innovation might initially help alleviate hunger, but in the end, by supporting the production of GM crops, we may end up enabling capitalists to monopolise one of the world’s biggest industries – the food industry.