New Delhi, June 24 -- A group of 20 agricultural scientists from across India has expressed serious concerns over the Union agriculture ministry's early May announcement regarding the release of gene-edited (GEd) rice varieties.

Scientists have called the move "premature" and warned of far-reaching consequences for India's agricultural sector, farmers' welfare and national seed sovereignty.

The forum of 'Agriculture Scientists Manch' specifically questioned the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology, highlighting its foreign origins and the risk for India becoming dependent on multinational corporations (MNC) for seed rights.

On May 4, 2025, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare released two genome-edited ri...