2009-10-23 | permalink

Commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal may take a year

Bt brinjal, or the country’s first genetically modified food crop, is unlikely to be available for commercial cultivation before late next year, and still requires mandatory clearances from three government ministries, say key officials involved with the regulatory process. On Wednesday, the genetic engineering approval committee (GEAC), a biotechnology regulatory authority ruled that genetically modified, or GM, brinjal was safe for commercial cultivation. This was after a GEAC subcommittee, constituted on the Supreme Court’s directive, reviewed the scientific data from two-year-long field trials in farmers’ fields.

• Livemint.com, India: Commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal may take a year
• The Times of India, India: Bt brinjal debate goes to people
• Press Information Bureau, India: Decision on Bt –Brinjal after satrisfactory consultations with all stakeholders : Jairam Ramesh
• The Hindu Business Line, India: Concerns over labelling of Bt brinjal for consumers
• ThaiIndian News, Thailand: We will not blindly oppose Bt brinjal: K.V. Thomas (Lead)
• The Times of India, India: Ministers all at sea over Bt Brinjal
• Express News Service, India: ’Bt brinjal not ready for distribution’
• Nature News, UK: Transgenic aubergines put on ice