India developing GM papaya
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India's Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is developing a GM papaya that would resist papaya ring spot virus (PRSV), which is responsible for destroying papaya cultivation in thousands of acres in the country. Dr. C. Ramasamy, TNAU Vice Chancellor, told The Hindu that the department of Biotechnology had allocated funds for the project and it would take another three years for coming out with GM papaya.

"We have to develop our own [GM papaya] variety as the virus, caused by white fly is peculiar to India," Ramasamy said.

India does, indeed, have a variant of PRSV which attacks GM papayas currently on the market.

It is unknown whether the current TNAU project makes use of PRSV resistance technology donated to TNAU by Monsanto last year.

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