Source: CropBiotech Update

India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, through the Director General of Foreign Trade, has approved new rules governing the import of genetically modified (GM) products. The country’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) has also been tasked to approve or reject all applications for bulk import of GM food, raw or processed feed, or any ingredient of food, food additives, or any food product that contains GM materials.

The conditions to which the import of GM foods will be subjected include the following:

1) import of any material with GM materials used for either industrial production, environmental release, or field applications will be allowed only with approval of the GEAC;

2) any institute or company wishing to import GM materials for research purposes should submit their proposal to the Review Committee for Genetic Modification (RCGM) under the Department of Biotechnology; and

3) at the time of import, all consignments containing GM materials must carry a declaration that the product is genetically modified.

If the consignment does not carry such a declaration and is later found to contain GM materials, the importer is liable to penal action under the country’s 1992 Foreign Trade Act.

These rules are effective from the 1st of April, 2006.

Read the complete article at http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1482289.cms.

View the complete document on regulations at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/CBTNews/files/India_FTP.pdf.