Genetically modified crops are agricultural plants modified by insertion of new genetic information that changes or improves their natural traits, such as resistance to pests, diseases, weather, and increased nutrition value. An example includes genetically modified cotton, also known as biotech or Bt cotton. Bt cotton is modified through the gene of naturally occurring soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis to fortify the crop against common pests such as bollworm. It is estimated that genetically modified cotton now accounts for over three quarters of the global cotton production. It is known to produce higher yields in comparison to conventional cotton. In most cases, it also circumvents the need for using fertilizers.(1) While the benefits of using genetically modified cotton include more efficient growing and reduced need for agricultural chemicals, genetically modified crops have also been criticized for the corporate monopoly over the GM technology, and also for their potential environmental impacts such as building pest tolerance to resistant strains, potential persistence in the environment, and possible transfer of modified genes to other crops. In addition, critics have linked high input costs for Bt seeds and the resulting accrued debt to the increase in farmer suicides, although to date there is a lack of factual evidence to confirm that suicide rates of cotton growers are higher in comparison to other farmers (NB: Valid at the time of writing, December 2019).(1-5)
GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) CROPS
