Chandigarh, July 14 (IANS) Despite criticism and protests from different quarters in the country, global agricultural products company Monsanto is confident that GM (genetically modified) food will be accepted in the Indian market in the coming years.
“Yes, we know that some sections of the society are against GM food but we still support it. We are confident that GM foods will be widely accepted by the Indian society in the coming years and people will themselves go for them after realising their value,” Jyotsna Bhatnagar, sustainability director of Monsanto India, told IANS here Wednesday.

She added: “In India we have a proper system and every food product comes to the market after undergoing various checks of regulatory authority, which constitutes of experts from various backgrounds. If some public sector company was doing the same research and had come up with such foods then they might be easily accepted here.”

People from different walks of life, including many scientists, have come out opposing GM foods saying that they are not fit for human consumption and their cultivation pose a threat to the environment.

“There are some entities working against us and I also do not discount the role of a lobby working against us. Suddenly they have started supporting organic crops in place of GM foods but earlier nobody was bothered about them,” said Bhatnagar.

However, she said that Monsanto has full support from Indian government.

“The Indian government is indeed very supportive and they encourage us. We want to initiate a healthy dialogue from here. We have plans to extensively indulge in activities that will help us to reach the masses to disseminate knowledge about GM foods,” said Bhatnagar.