Jairam intervenes after Nitish tells him that he is opposed to such trials
Even as the moratorium on commercialisation of Bt brinjal stands, Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to immediately withdraw its permission to Monsanto for field trials of Bt maize in Bihar. Bt brinjal was the first, and maize is the second food crop for which the GEAC has given permission for field trials in India.
Mr. Ramesh's intervention came after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told him personally that he was “opposed” to field trials of Bt maize — a food crop — in Bihar as he was not aware of the risks involved and wanted the GEAC to withdraw its permission.
In a letter to the GEAC chief on March 5, Mr. Ramesh said: “Bihar CM's phone call reinforces my belief that biotech regulation, particularly in the field of agriculture, cannot be a purely scientific enterprise… There are political considerations that will come into play and I use that term in its best people-oriented sense. Regulation in telecom or insurance cannot be equated with regulation in food crop-oriented biotechnology.”
In a significant move, the Minister has asked the GEAC to give a State government at least one month to agree or disagree on field trials for genetically-modified (GM) crops, given the fact that agriculture is a State subject. In fact, ideally, prior approval of the State concerned should be taken before allowing such trials.
The GEAC, in December 2010, gave permission for field trials of BRL-II of Bt corn developed by Monsanto at five locations for rabi 2011 — Bihar (two locations), Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh — and at nine locations for kharif 2011 — Bihar (two locations), Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Corn is considered an extremely important crop in Bihar.
India accounts for about 3 per cent of world maize production. Bihar accounts for 10 per cent, after Andhra Pradesh (17 per cent), Rajasthan (14 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (12 per cent).
‘Absolutely shocking'
Reacting to the permission given for Bt maize trials, Suman Sahai of Gene Campaign, who was awarded Padma Shri this year, said: “This is absolutely shocking, coming as it does under the shadow of the review of Bt brinjal, the first food crop to be introduced in India. It is deceitful.”
Kavita Kuruganti of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture expressed concern that “regulators and the government were not heeding democratic and scientific voices about safety aspects of GM crops.”
Bharatiya Kisan Union general secretary Yudhvir Singh said: “Permission has been given surreptitiously. This is not right. We strongly oppose it. The permission should be withdrawn for all States, not just Bihar.”
Giving permission for conducting trials does not mean that they are released to market. Anyway they have to pass through government. If the technology is really worth then no meaning in stopping it. We can see so many other countries which had started growing bt maize.
This is in response to Prof I.S.Dua's post. Keeping aside the theory that India is not keeping pace with the times as regards GM crops, the thing that escapes most scientists is that the effect of any such technology is not limited to humans. On this Earth, in nature, humans are just a part of a vast ecosystem. An ecosystem in which plants and animals of immeasurable diversity play a crucial role. We are not living in an isolated environment. When we use any technology to alter a crop or an animal, we have to consider the impact on the environment too. From the organisms in the soil to the birds, mammals etc., every species within the ecosystem is affected by such a single event. It's selfish to only think of the "profits" that man can get out of any technology.
Also, lab results do not mean anything. Why should we trust them ? Maybe they have been paid off. I would rather trust Mother Nature than trust man's modification of something created by Nature.
This is in continuation of the write up by Prof Witan: I will refrain from any statement about the morality of the scientists or their sell out but the story about GM corn(2001-02)from starving Zambia which makes an interesting citation. A severe drought in Southern Africa threatened the lives of 15 million people in seven countries. A 15,000 tons(1/3rd GM) shipment from UN was diverted to Zambia which had accepted and eaten such shipments for six years, but this time it was rejected. "Simply because my people are hungry, that is no justification to give them food that is intrinsically dangerous to their health," President Mwanawasa declared. "We would rather starve than get something toxic." Outside a locked warehouse in Shimabala, Zambia, where the corn was stored for free distribution, the Los Angeles Times reported, an elderly blind man pleaded with officials to release the corn: "Please give us the food. We don't care if it is poisonous because we are dying any way." In desperation, rural Zambians were eating 'leaves, twigs and even poisonous berries and nuts,' said the Times. The WHO estimated that 35,000 Zambians would starve to death in the coming months. Shipments of identical U.S.corn were accepted that year without incident in Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The lethal change of policy in Zambia was the result of a concerted effort by Europe-based environmental organizations to frighten Zambians about GM crops. South Africa had already adopted GM cotton, soybeans, and white maize - favorite food locally - but other nations were susceptible to pressure. The people were convinced that GE crops would cause allergies, infect their digestive tracts, spread HIV/AIDS, as these contain pig genes, and would deny them any possibility of selling their crops to European markets.. In the service of what was thought to be a higher good, the environmental movement went sociopathic in Africa. In contrast India is incredible where every farmer by and large is looking for GM Technology after seeing the success of Bt Cotton (please do visit the Marathwada where the scientific lobby approved Bt Brinjal with confidence but a few politician hold back the fruits of technology not for vote bank but look forward for some more assays, probably showing a healthy and an exemplary democratic window to the rest of the world.
The MoEF minister Mr.Jairam Ramesh has been proving his anti-farmer attitude time and again.His appaling statement on Bt Maize trial in Bihar is yet another proof of his poor understanding of the robust science which is capable of improving the economy of farmers like me.It is really distressing to note that policy decisions concerning the farmers are unfortunatly taken on the basis of personal whims and fancies of our politicians.Our farmers are the ultimate victims of the politicians.
I find the directive of the Minister for Environemnt and Forests (MoEF) baffling. When the Review Committee for Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) accepted the Biosafety Research Level I (BRL I) trials as satisfactorily completed, there is a reasonable assurance on the biosafety of the crop in question, basing on which the GEAC permitted the conduct of BRL II field trials. The MoEF's reported personal belief that 'biotech regulation, particularly in the field of agriculture, cannot be a purely scientific enterprise', is another example of political dogma overriding scientific judgment. The country's mandatory biosecurity regulatory regime overseen by five competent authorities is the means of establishing product efficacy and biosafety and not the whims of the politicians. The MoEF's new directive shows that the moratorium on Bt brinjal does not end there, but slowly extends to all other GE crops. The GEAC, the statutory authority on these issues, cannot function if the MoEF continues to ride its tail.
This is in response to Prof I. S. Dua's post. I wish to draw his attention to the fact that maize in USA is not consumed directly by humans, but is used mostly for making corn-starch, corn-oil, high-fructose corn syrup, etc., and as pig feed. Professor Dua should be aware that certain types of Bt-corn (e.g. 'Starlink', produced by Aventis CropScience) and their processed derivatives are not approved for human consumption even in USA itself. Apprehensions on the health effects of Bt-gene-containing 'edible crops' based on good science. I am sure Professor Dua is aware of the studies that have shown up Monsanto's Genetically Modified Corn 'MON863' in a bad light. Also, there have been a number of reports of mass deaths of goats that fed on Bt-cotton leftovers. Unfortunately, the matter was not seriously investigated, probably because of pressure from the GM MNC, Monsanto, which has quite a number of influential Indian 'scientists' in its pocket. Quite a few knowledgeable Indian scientists are against Bt-Brinjal: THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE Bt-Gene in EDIBLE crops, and they are not some sort of uneducated Luddite mob misguidedly opposing biotechnology.
It's high time that the GEAC is reconstituted or replaced to ensure that it has scientists who have deeper knowledge of science than mere Genetic engineering, and, more importantly, do not have vested interests or conflicts of interest. Having known some of the currently highly visible plant-GM scientists in India, I wonder how many of them know the elements of chemistry, for example, or of human health. Actually, it was said even thirty years ago that recombinant DNA was actually so very easy to make that any high-school student could do it. Commercial "do it yourself" kits are now available that enable genetically engineered microorganisms to be made in an ordinary kitchen.
I wonder why the GEAC is so keen on field trials without proper data regarding GM crops. With issues like horizontal gene transfer still being debated, govt must wait before giving approval for field trials.
In the history of plant biotechnology we all branded 2010 as the black year when a moratorium was imposed on Bt brinjal by a handful of people who are otherwise elevated to gubernatorial positions to see the prosperity of the nation through the achievements in science and technology while keeping in mind what has been attained at the global level. Transgenic maize engineered to express insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has become widely adopted in U.S. agriculture. In 2009, Bt maize was planted on more than 22.2 million hectares, constituting 63% of the U.S. maize area. Cumulative benefits over 14 years are an estimated $3.2 billion for maize growers with more than $2.4 billion of this total accruing to non-Bt maize growers. These results affirm theoretical predictions of pest population suppression and highlight economic incentives for growers to maintain non-Bt maize refugia for sustainable insect resistance management. Honorable Minister are you listening to these scientific reports or being carried away by the populist politics which may give you immediate returns but in the long run will brand you as the one who had put the country back at least by 20 years? Please don't quote China's prosperity in your future citations because very soon it will be on the top as far as the adaptation of Bt-integrated technology is concerned. Kindly do not make every successive year more dark so far its rise on the ladder of science is concerned.
This is a very good news. Hope the other states follow suit. Thank God Agriculture is a state subject.
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