The states of Bihar and West Bengal have decided not to allow the cultivation of GM mustard

1. "Farmers will commit suicide": West Bengal writes to Centre opposing GM mustard
2. Nitish Kumar writes against GM mustard
3. GM mustard row: RSS-affiliate writes to Narendra Modi, calls it "unscientific and toxic"
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1. "Farmers will commit suicide": West Bengal writes to Centre opposing GM mustard

Sulagna Sengupta
Catch News, 23 May 2017
http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/farmers-will-commit-suicide-west-bengal-writes-to-centre-opposing-gm-mustard-62306.html

After Bihar, West Bengal has decided not to allow the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard seeds in the state.

The state government has sent a letter to the Centre asking them not to introduce genetically modified (GM) mustard as it would harm farmers.

Minister in-charge for agriculture Purnendu Bose said, “We are not in favour of GM mustard seeds as we feel that it will harm farmers. The Centre is trying to promote multinational companies at the expense of our farmers”.

Senior state government officials said that their main concern is that mustard is a major oilseed crop in the state. It is used to make condiments as well oil cakes for animal feed. So any attempt by the Centre to promote GM mustard seeds could have devastating consequences, they believe.

The letter, a copy of with is with Catch, states that introduction of GM mustard seeds would harm the “independence of farmers” and the “food sovereignty of the country”.

Many agriculture scientists are of the opinion that there is a need for more research before GM mustard seeds can be released. Several other states have also objected to GM mustard seeds.

According to Pradip Majumder, agricultural scientist said “BT maize and BT brinjal was also released by the Centre without proper research and it was not at all successful. So it cannot ask states to release GM mustard without providing adequate scientific evidence”.

“It is surprising that Delhi University is trying to commercialise a technology, which has so far been pushed by multinational seed companies,” he said referring to work done by DU scientists.

The BJP however says that the state government's stand is because of Mamata Banerjee's confrontation with Narendra Modi.

Dilip Ghosh state BJP president said “Trinamool Congress will reject all our policies as they cannot tolerate the good initiatives taken by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

The Trinamool Congress, however, says that it is only trying to protect the interests of farmers and prevent them from “committing suicide” because of the Centre's policies.

Partha Chatterjee, state parliamentary affairs minister, said “ We have already conveyed our stand to the Centre. We hope it will respect our decision.”
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2. Nitish Kumar writes against GM mustard

Times of India, May 19, 2017
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/nitish-writes-against-gm-mustard/articleshow/58740269.cms

Bihar CM [chief minister] Nitish Kumar shot off a letter to the Union ministry of environment and forests on Wednesday, expressing afresh his reservation on the commercial cultivation of genetically-modified (GM) mustard.

"I strongly urge that this GM mustard application must be rejected instantaneously. No decision on GM crops should be taken in haste as it can harm the interests of farmers and the people of the India in general," Nitish wrote.

He said he was writing the letter in acknowledgement of reports of regulatory clearance accorded by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee for commercial cultivation of GM mustard. The matter now awaits Union environment minister's nod.

Referring to his October 6 letter to PM Narendra Modi on GM crops, Nitish said, "Our concerns and objections remain unresolved. The state governments will be forced to bear the adverse consequences of this technology if the Centre approves it even as the agriculture is a state subject. The said technology is likely to be commercialised by seed MNCs, which will be highly monopolistic and leave millions of farmers in the hands of seed companies."

Incidentally, mustard is an important crop of Bihar. Apart from its oil being used for cooking purposes and cakes for animal feed, the yellow flowers of mustard plant also serves as food for honeybees in winter.

"Bihar will not be able to escape the consequences of the technology. When it comes to food crops, the country has to be particularly cautious. Health impact on consumers cannot be ruled out," Nitish had written in his letter to PM.
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3. GM mustard row: RSS-affiliate writes to Narendra Modi, calls it "unscientific and toxic"

Debobrat Ghose
FirstPost, 23 May 2017
http://www.firstpost.com/india/gm-mustard-row-rss-affiliate-writes-to-narendra-modi-calls-it-unscientific-and-toxic-3473856.html

RSS' economic wing Swadeshi Jagran Manch has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him not to introduce "unscientific, toxic and anti-bio diversity GM mustard" in the country in haste, as it would "prove detrimental to public health."

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) also questioned the intention of the authorities who have aggressively been pushing for GM mustard.

In the copy of the letter accessed by Firstpost, the All India co-convener of SJM, Dr Ashwani Mahajan alleges that the recommendation of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) to push GM mustard as ‘swadeshi’ is based on manipulated data, false conclusions and lobbying by vested interests.

“The claim that GM mustard is ‘swadeshi’ and has been developed in India is completely untrue. We strongly object to the recommendation made by GEAC for approval of GM mustard as safe and nutrient for consumption was supposedly developed by controversial Delhi University researcher Prof Deepak Pental, who is now promoting the same as HT Mustard DMH-11. Even the field trials by Indian Council of Agricultural Research did not give evidence of superior yield,” Mahajan told Firstpost.

Referring to Proagro Seed Company, a subsidiary of Bayer’s, the SJM in its letter said, “Bayer is not a swadeshi company. How can a product (bar-barstar-barnase gene) which leads to the development of GM mustard through hybridisation, patented in the name of Bayer be termed as swadeshi?”

Bt Brinjal: A case in point

Referring to Bt Brinjal, another genetically-modified organism, Mahajan said, “This is the second time that a GM food crop is being considered for approval. Earlier, the UPA government was confronted with the case of Bt Brinjal. The then environment minister Jairam Ramesh allowed public hearings and permitted scrutiny of claims by making the data public. That led to a moratorium on Bt Brinjal as the scientific community was able to prove that introduction of Bt Brinjal would be injurious to human health, bio-diversity, and agriculture.”

Mahajan claimed: “As compared to indigenous hybrids, Prof Pental’s GM mustard is neither swadeshi nor high-yielding. It isn't even good for our health, environment and bio-diversity. The undue hurry being demonstrated by authorities to push it is beyond comprehension and raises serious questions about their intentions.”

SJM questions royalty payment and promotion of an MNC

The SJM has also raised other issues.“The condition of royalty payment to Bayer has been kept secret. Besides paying royalty to Bayer on its patented gene system, it is said to promote an herbicide Glufosinate, which will benefit the company. It is evident that the nation would be seriously dependent upon an MNC for use of patents and import of herbicides causing greater outflow of foreign exchange from India,” Mahajan said.

Former environment minister Anil Madhav Dave, who passed away on 18 May, was an RSS functionary. He was supposed to take a final decision on application of the indigenously developed GM mustard. Mahajan said that Dave had issued no statement affirming that he would approve GM mustard.

“The rumours that the Prime Minister's Office has been pushing for GM mustard is completely wrong. Had the prime minister wanted to allow use of this genetically modified variety, Dave wouldn’t have taken so much time in three years to give his approval,” Mahajan remarked.

Issue is sub judice

The issue related to GM mustard is sub judice with the Supreme Court. “As the matter is sub judice with the apex court, and the Attorney General gave assurance that DMH-11 would not be released without prior approval of the apex court, we’ve urged the prime minister not to allow it," Mahajan added.

The experts have their say

P Pardha Saradhi, Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, Delhi University and a noted GM scientist says, “With no agronomic benefits over non-GE hybrids/varieties, there is no reason to jeopardise the security of India’s farming and food, human health and of critical importance, the nation’s wealth of biodiversity, the contamination of which will be irreversible, by releasing HT mustard hybrid DMH-11. HT mustard and its GM parents must be banned.”

Environmentalist Vandana Shiva, who earlier called GM mustard a 'fraud perpetrated on nation', says, “Hybrid DMH-11 has failed the first criteria of a risk assessment protocol of a GM crop. Is the GM crop required in the first place? No, it isn't. Nevertheless, it was approved for further testing in a chicanery process of regulation over a period of more than 10 years. It has survived in this fashion during its history of testing, one stage to the next, in a much hyped step-by-step process of profoundly flawed regulatory oversight, amounting to fraud that has everything to do with copious rules on paper, but nothing to do with substance.”