When the DNA of a plant is modified using genetic engineering techniques or biotechnology, the plant is said to have been genetically modified (GM). What does this mean to you and I? Quite simply, it means that the crop could have undergone this process in order to become something that it wasn't in the first place.
Genetic manipulation to transform food into something else isn't entirely new. Older techniques of biotechnology, like the use of yeast in bread, did not necessarily pose a problem, but the advancement of biotechnology has resulted in a lot of experimentation with crops. GM crops resistant to pests, viruses and droughts are being developed. Because tomatoes are perishable, they are modified so that they ripen slowly while they are still in transit to their final destination. Improving the nutritional content of crops is another focus area. As much as the hue and cry about these types of crops is fairly recent, the crops themselves aren't new in India.
The introduction of Bt cotton in India