Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India had never permitted genetically modified imports, PTI reported Tuesday, conflicting with government approvals and a later statement describing GM canola oil imports.
Speaking at Kirori Mal College in New Delhi, Goyal also said India would not allow such imports in the future, according to PTI. His claim extends beyond the government's stated position on concessions in trade agreements.
In a Dec. 29, 2017, answer to Parliament, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare listed seven approvals issued by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) from 2007 through 2015 for imports of oil derived from genetically modified soybeans or canola. The same answer said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had not permitted imports of edible GM oil. It did not reconcile those accounts.
Those approvals do not establish how much oil entered India. A separate Dec. 7, 2016, parliamentary answer from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry identified a Sept. 3, 2015, GEAC approval for oil derived from herbicide-tolerant canola. It said GM canola oil imports could not be quantified because the product had no separate customs code.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said in a Dec. 23, 2022, statement that India was importing GM canola oil for domestic use. The statement gave no GM canola oil import volume.
A 2016 Commerce Ministry statement said GM food imports required GEAC approval. It also said FSSAI had reported no GM food cleared through its locations, leaving the difference between the agencies' accounts unresolved.
Goyal said India intended to protect the dairy sector, farmers, fishermen and micro, small and medium enterprises in trade talks while seeking better access abroad for Indian exports, Moneycontrol reported.
In March 2026, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said India had granted GM products no concessions or market access under its trade agreements and had kept dairy protected. That trade position does not cover the full history of regulatory approvals or imports.
