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Bt eggplants (brinjal) in India

 

Since 1999 GENET collects and distributes information on various topics in the field of genetic engineering in agriculture, food production and health. With this "Special Topic: Bt Brinjal in India" GENET aims at providing an overview about the debate on development and approval of Bt brinjal in this country, based on our archives.

2009-12-07 |

New twist to controversy over commercial release of Bt brinjal in India

In what appears a new twist to the controversy over the impending commercial release of the genetically modified crop, with the toxin producing Bt gene in it, strongly resisted by civil society groups, Professor Reddy is stated to have confided to P.M. Bhargava, scientist and Supreme Court nominee on the GEAC, that he was under pressure and that he received calls from ”Agriculture Minister, GEAC and industry” to give his nod.

2009-12-03 |

Bt Brinjal has enormous potential to benefit farmers & consumers: AICBA

Mahyco has donated Bt brinjal technology to public research institutions to benefit a large number of resource-poor vegetable farmers in India. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, and the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad have successfully back-crossed event EE-1 into locally adapted open-pollinated brinjal varieties. Both these institutions are testing and evaluating different open-pollinated Bt brinjal varieties under the multi-location research trials (MLRTs) and these varieties are likely to be made available to farmers in the near future.

2009-12-01 |

Controversy continues over Indian Bt brinjal approval

The controversy over granting approval to Bt brinjal is set to deepen. Questions are being asked about the composition and functioning of the 16 member expert committee that granted approval to Bt brinjal. Chairperson of the Committee Prof Arjula Reddy was reportedly ”tremendous pressure” to clear Bt brinjal and had calls from Agricultural Minister, Genetic Engineer Approval Committee (GEAC) and industry. This is what the Supreme Court observer to the committee Dr Pushpa Bhargava said in his letter to the GEAC and Jairam Ramesh.

2009-11-27 |

Church of South India opposes GE crop cultivation

The Church of South India (CSI) has urged its government to ban the cultivation of Genetically-modified foods in India. [...] ”It is obvious that the introduction of Bt brinjal will contaminate the large number of traditional brinjal varieties available to us, particularly those with unique medicinal properties. This will also shift the control of seeds from the farmers to profit-hungry corporations that have already established a virtual monopoly over seeds through the new patent regime,” the Ecological Concerns Committee said.

2009-11-25 |

GE eucalyptus and GE jute for India?

After the entry of Bt cotton and the controversy over Bt brinjal, scientists have turned their attention to the medicinal tree, eucalyptus. Research on genetically modified eucalyptus that is tolerant to soil salinity is underway in Coimbatore, according to Union environment and forest Minister Jairam Ramesh. Field trials for GM eucalyptus would begin in four years’ time.

2009-11-25 |

Q & A about the relevance of Bt brinjal and the regulatory regime in India

The debate over the environmental clearance for Bt brinjal in India is hotting up. There is a tremendous uproar against the technology that is visible, provided of course you want to see it. Many State governments have woken up, and opposed the introduction of Bt brinjal crop. West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala are some of them. In the days to come, I am sure more State governments will oppose the technology.

2009-11-25 |

Indian Minister for Environment and Forests supports Bt brinjal approval

The genetically modified Bt Brinjal has been developed in compliance with international norms and experts evaluating it have found no danger in it, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here Tuesday. Supporting the experts’ panel — which has been criticised by many independent scientists and green activists, the minister told the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question: ”Bt Brinjal event EE-1 has been developed in compliance with the prevailing regulatory procedures and biosafety guidelines which conform to the international norms”.

2009-11-19 |

Why the US is so keen to sell Bt brinjal to India

That American agri-companies have intensified lobbying with Indian political parties is not surprising, for two reasons. First, the Indian government has yet to greenlight the commercialisation of Bt brinjal -- crucial for the future of these ’Bt brand’ companies -- even after a thumbs up from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). Also, the winter session of Parliament is to take up two crucial pieces of legislation: The Seed Bill and the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill.

2009-11-16 |

Experts urge for GM-free Karnataka (India)

”We do not want GM (genetically modified) crops which can prove apocalyptic for mankind. Let us say never to Bt-brinjal”. The declaration, along with the demand that state government declare Karnataka GM-free, was made at a state-level conference on genetic engineering, farming and food in Mysore on Saturday. The conference, jointly held by the Institution of Engineers, Mysore Local Centre, Mysore Grahaka Parishat and Deccan Development Society, Hyderabad, wherein experts placed views for and against genetic engineering (GE).

2009-11-12 |

Furious farmers say MNCs are imposing Bt brinjal on India

A number of farmer groups met in Delhi recently to plan a stir against opening the country to genetically-modified (GM) foods like Bt brinjal.
Under the ’Jan Jagaran Abhiyan’, the protesters are also hoping to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as the Union agriculture and health ministers. Farmers claimed Bt brinjal would contaminate traditional varieties of brinjal, and the cultivators would suffer the consequences. They also alleged that the decision to allow the sale of Bt brinjal - which still awaits the government’s nod - was linked with commercial interests.

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