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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.

2008-06-10 |

The colour purple - The Bt brinjal controversy in India

”There was no barrier around the whole field and I visited the field five times, which should not have been allowed,” said Selvam. R. Selvam, president of the Erode District Organic Farmers Federation. First cotton; now brinjal. Both have their centre of origin in India and this must be one of the few countries where there has been very little debate on the safety or even necessity of genetically modified (GM) crops. While Bt cotton is already grow in in India, there are growing protests against the release of India’s first GM food crop: brinjal.

2008-06-03 |

GEAC calls for socio-economic survey of Bt brinjal in India

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has decided to ask the National Centre for Agriculture Economics and Policy Research (NCAP) to conduct a socio-economic survey of the Bt brinjal developed by the Indian seed company, Mahyco with technology sourced from Monsanto. [...] GEAC’s cautious move follows the sharp criticism of the founder director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Pushp M Bhargava about the lack of health and bio-safety data of GM crops in the country. He also pointed out the incidence of sheep mortality reportedly due to grazing over Bt cotton fields in Warangal and Adilabad districts in Andhra Pradesh.

2008-05-21 |

Tremendous scope for vertical growth in biotech crops

Those opposed to biotechnology in agriculture are spreading disinformation, according to Dr Usha B. Zehr, Joint Director of Research with Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Ltd (MAHYCO), pioneer in the country’s foray into agbiotech. Indeed, Bt Brinjal is not the first GM vegetable crop. Globally, as many as 23 vegetable crop species (excluding potato and sweet corn) have been genetically engineered. China grows tomato, papaya, petunia and sweet pepper, while the US grows squash (a variety of gourd) and papaya.

2008-05-21 |

Trouble on the plate for Bt brinjal in India

The clearance for the first genetically modified food crop, Bt brinjal, may not be smooth going by the recent developments in the apex regulatory body. One of the Supreme Court-appointed special invitees to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has raised strong objections to the quality of data provided by Mahyco in the final trials for Bt brinjal before its commercial release. He has also asked for a review of data on Bt cotton approved in 2002. ”The lack of data on health and bio-safety is shocking,” said P. Bhargava, molecular scientist who founded the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), now a special invitee to GEAC.

2008-05-07 |

Farmers seek ban on GM crops in India

Farmers today demanded a complete ban on genetically modified (GM) crops and food in India saying it would not only affect humans and livestocks, but also soil and environment. Protesting against GM crops in the national capital, farmers under the banner of ’Coalition for a GM-Free India’ voiced against government’s decision to allow field trials of bt brinjal in the country. Addressing the farmers, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said that GM crops are yet another attempt by corporates to take over Indian agriculture. He exhorted farmers to resist it forcefully.

2008-05-06 |

Indian farmers’ rally today against GM crops

Several members of Parliament will address a farmers’ rally here on Tuesday against sale and distribution of genetically modified crops and seeds in general and Bt brinjal in particular. Bt brinjal is the first GM food crop which will be approved for a second and final season trial before commercialisation. The ”Coalition for a GM-free India,” which will organise the rally, represents farmers’ unions, environmental organisations, organic farming groups and women’s organisations. It has one of the largest membership of practising ecological farmers.

2008-04-22 |

Biosafety data for genetically engineered crops- a commercially confidential information?

The right to information case chronology Feb 2006 - Apr 2008 starting with: Biosafety data of Brinjal, ladies finger, mustard and rice is asked under the RTI act by Divya Raghunandan of Greenpeace.

2008-03-28 |

Indian GM brinjal battle goes to New Delhi High Court

It’s a classic case of commercial interest vs public interest which could set an important precedent. Genetically modified brinjal — expected to be the country’s first edible GM crop — could find its way to your plate soon. But first, Delhi high court will have to decide whether the company conducting its field trials can keep data on health and environment safety tests out of the public domain on the grounds that the information is a ”trade secret”.

2008-03-25 |

Monsanto and Greenpeace clash over GM brinjal safety in India

The MNC’s seed partner doesn’t want details of its safety test in the public domain. A case filed in the Delhi High Court will decide the fate of exclusive data shared by companies with the government. Companies, especially those in the pharmaceutical and agri-chemicals businesses, don’t want such data to be made public in order to protect their commercial interests.

2008-02-29 |

Protests seeking stoppage of Bt brinjal trials in India

Accusing Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) of ’carrying on research upon the diktats of US-based Monsanto’, farmers and environmental organisations on Friday staged protests at the field trial sites of Genetically Engineered brinjal within the campus. More than 100 activists of Greenpeace, ’Pasumai Thaayagam’, the green wing of PMK, and Tamil Nadu Agriculture Protestion Committee, along with a several farmers marched to the site holding placards and banners and raised slogans demanding stoppage of all GE field trials. They alleged that the University was being ”converted into a property of Monsanto”.

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