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Indian greens protest GM mustard seeds
Thursday, 07 November 2002, 20:30 IST
NEW DELHI: Environmentalists and farmers' groups have opposed India's move to approve the commercial release of genetically modified (GM) mustard seeds.
The opposition was prompted by reports of a poor yield from GM cotton.
"It is very surprising that India is even considering another crop given the widespread failure of Bt. cotton in the field," said Divya Raghunandan, GM campaigner at Greenpeace India.
Despite protests, India had earlier this year given conditional clearance for commercial cultivation of GM cotton.
In the case of mustard, besides being used as an oilseed, is widely consumed as a condiment, while mustard leaves form part of Indian diet in large parts of the country.
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the environment and forests ministry is scheduled to meet Thursday to give the final go ahead to GM mustard, which has been undergoing field trials for last few years.
Promoted by Pro-Agro Seeds India Private Ltd, the Indian arm of Aventis with a Belgian company PGS, GM mustard is transformed with genetic material drawn from a bacterial gene that detoxifies the broad-spectrum herbicide glufosinate so that the plant is not affected by the herbicide.
Greens claim the transformation of several genes from different bacteria makes consumption of GM mustard potentially risky.
"Mustard is such high risk crop. Being a food crop, it is completely unethical for GEAC to even consider releasing a GM version. Consumers will be as good as blindfolded about mustard if the GEAC goes ahead with this decision," maintained Raghunandan.
Greenpeace activists, along with some other NGOs and farmer groups across the country, are staging a protest in the capital Thursday.
"We are protecting against the lack of transparency in GEAC deliberation on GM mustard as in the case of Bt Cotton," said Anantha Padmanabhan, executive director of Greenpeace India.
Among other things the greens are seeking that government make public all results of field trials done so far and also make seed corporations accountable for the loss of bio-diversity and violation of farmers rights with the release of GM crops.
Substantiating their claims, Delhi-based Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology headed by physicist-ecologist Vandana Shiva said here that field surveys in states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh from October 23-November 2 has shown there is no basis for the claim that Bt. cotton would lead to higher yield or are pest resistant.
"The commercial clearance to Bt cotton was granted on the grounds that it had been fully tested in Indian condition, that it does not require pesticide sprays and it gives higher yields," Shiva said at a press conference.
"All the claims on the basis of which the clearance was granted have been proven false by the total failure of Bt. Cotton in states where it was cleared for planting," said Shiva.
Surveys by the think-tank have revealed that not only has the yield been very low from seeds by Monsanto-Mahyco but the farmers have had to use more pesticides.
"Since each farmer would have got an average yield of 10 quintals in one acre through normal non-Bt. hybrid and after cutting all costs, an income of 
10, 750, the Bt. cotton failure has cost the farmers a total loss of Rs 1.13 billion in 105,000 acres in one cropping season," said Shiva.
Urging that affected farmers be paid compensation, Shiva said many of the farmers have not followed the instructions to plant a protective border of plants to ensure bio-safety and prevent cross pollination.
Source: IANS
10, 750, the Bt. cotton failure has cost the farmers a total loss of Rs 1.13 billion in 105,000 acres in one cropping season," said Shiva.
Urging that affected farmers be paid compensation, Shiva said many of the farmers have not followed the instructions to plant a protective border of plants to ensure bio-safety and prevent cross pollination.
Source: IANS