NEWS FROM INDIA
1.Scientists inspect damaged Bt cotton crop
2.'Say no to GM food in India'
3.Safety concerns land GM brinjal on regulatory table
4.Govt halts marketing of genetically modified food crop

EXTRACTS: Pushpa Bhargava, a Supreme Court-appointed observer to GEAC, said: "I've been told that a sub-committee would be appointed to look into these reports. But that would be pointless, unless it was made up of experts independent of GEAC." (item 3)

"There seems to be an unseemly haste and lack of transparency in carrying out the experiments, leading both farmers and consumers to ask what Dr Bhargava is asking... is there a vested interest?" (item 4)

"The firms said that the Bt cotton requires more micro and macro nutrients in the land to ensure highest yield and it is due to lack of such nutrients, the crop withered," the farmers said, adding that they wanted adequate compensation from both the firm and the government for their loss. (item 1)
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1.Scientists inspect damaged Bt cotton crop
Express News Service, 4 Feb 2009
http://tinyurl.com/bxhar3

ISTERODE: A team of scientists from Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) and Central Research Institute of Cotton (ICAR) visited Gobi and Perundurai areas on Tuesday to inspect the damaged cotton crop raised from Bt cottonseeds.

The visit was made after a complaint by the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association leaders M Kannayan and Selvam in the farmers’ grievance redress meeting that the Bt cotton crop withered in many areas across the district.

The team visited Siruvalur, Kolappalur (Gobi) and Nichampalayam in Perundurai and interacted with the farmers, who used the genetically modified RCH-2 and Jabardas-520 seeds, supplied by two private firms. “The crop grow abnormally, and the leaves turn red and wither leading to great loss. As against 16 quintals from an acre, we get only six quintals,” some Nichampalayam farmers told the team.

"For an acre, the farmers spend around Rs 20,000 as input cost. Given the present yield, we would suffer Rs 10,000 per acre as loss," they said. "The firms said that the Bt cotton requires more micro and macro nutrients in the land to ensure highest yield and it is due to lack of such nutrients, the crop withered," the farmers said, adding that they wanted adequate compensation from both the firm and the government for their loss.

Kannayan and Selvamsaid that many small and marginal farmers cultivated Bt seeds in over 750 acres, after getting bank loan, which they are unable to repay now.
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2.'Say no to GM food in India'
The Times of India, 3 Feb 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Say_no_to_GM_food_in_India/articleshow/4067140.cms
 
[Shiv Chopra worked as scientist in Canada for nearly four decades and was a senior scientific advisor to the government of Canada.]

Ahmedabad : "We should keep away hormones, antibiotics, slaughterhouse waste and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Pesticides should  not be allowed to enter any food." This was stated by Shiv Chopra, fellow of World Health Organization and author of the book Corrupt to the Core'. Chopra was in city to deliver Kamalnayan Bajaj Memorial Lecture on Globalization, Food Security, Public health and Prosperity' at Peace Research Centre in Gujarat Vidyapith.

According to Chopra, hygienic food is every citizen's right. Evidence reveals, avoiding use of pesticides and other chemicals in agriculture would cleanse soil, water and air in three years. Even earthworms would return to maintain ecological harmony.

"However, farmers alone cannot be blamed for using these products. Chemical companies knock at their doors with promises of handsome profits. It requires critical introspection on safety and security of food supply by everyone concerned. There is also need for policy changes to the present legislation, enforcement and education," Chopra added.

He said that some Indian companies, dealing with food and agricultural products, seem to be leaning towards free-for-all foreign technologies, including GMOs. But, thousands of farmers in India are reportedly committing suicide due to inability to pay for the imposition of chemical and GMO technologies. Severe damage is also occurring because of absence of legislation or policy in other areas of agriculture. "There is no national consensus on which products should or should not be allowed in food production. It is a situation waiting to explode in India on a colossal scale," Chopra said.

Shiv Chopra worked as scientist in Canada for nearly four decades and was senior scientific advisor to government of Canada.
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3.Safety concerns land GM brinjal on regulatory table
Jacob P. Koshy
Mint, 2 Feb 2009
http://www.livemint.com/2009/02/02235552/Safety-concerns-land-GM-brinja.html

*GEAC will examine the merit of two recent international reports that claim the food product isn't safe

New Delhi: A regulatory body that oversees genetically modified, or GM, crops is set to look at the merit of two recent international reports that say the Indian GM brinjal isn’t safe for consumption.

The scrutiny by the genetic engineering approval committee, or GEAC, may impede the progress of the GM brinjal from field trials to dining tables. If approved, it would be the first genetically modified food to become commercially available in the country.

Pushpa Bhargava, a Supreme Court-appointed observer to GEAC, said: “I’ve been told that a sub-committee would be appointed to look into these reports. But that would be pointless, unless it was made up of experts independent of GEAC.”

Bhargava, a molecular biologist and former vice-chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister, has been critical of the functioning of GEAC. He has also frequently questioned “the manner in which GM crops have been given approval in India”.

Mint couldn’t immediately confirm with GEAC about the plans to set up a committee to study the reports.

The two studies questioning the safety of Indian GM brinjal were made public last month. One was by Gilles-Eric Seralini, a scientist at the Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (Criigen), a French environmental organization, and the other by Judy Carman of Australia-based Institute of Health and Environmental Research, an organization that studies health effects of genetically modified organisms.

These studies say that the tests performed by Mahyco Ltd, a Maharashtra-based seed company, are insufficient to prove the safety of Indian GM brinjal. Mahyco wants to commercially launch GM brinjal in India.

Seralini’s report said: “... This GMO (genetically modified organism) may present a serious risk to human and animal health and the release should be refused in the state.” Seralini was commissioned by Greenpeace India to conduct the study.

In her report, Carman states that she had conducted the study partly on a request by Aruna Rodrigues, an activist who's petitioning the Supreme Court for a moratorium on GM seed testing in India.
Mahyco, in a press statement on Monday, claimed that all its studies followed norms prescribed by GEAC. “We’ve not been told about the committee yet,” said M.K. Sharma, general manager, Mahyco. “We are at advanced stages of field trial for GM brinjal and our results are extremely promising.”
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4.Govt halts marketing of genetically modified food crop
Shalini / CNN-IBN, Jan 30 2009
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-halts-marketing-of-genetically-modified-food-crop/84083-11.html

GENETICALLY NOT YOURS: India's first genetically modified food crop BT brinjal has been temporarily halted.

New Delhi: With new scientific studies now finding genetically modified foods not fully safe for human consumption, the government has put a 'temporary halt' on the commercialisation of BT brinjal, the move prompted by the Supreme Court’s special representative at the Centre’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee.

Dr Pushpabhargava said, "I have fears that there are vested interests. Any study that does not suit them are just dismissed."

However, Bhargavas intervention has not stopped biotech company Mahyco from going ahead with field trials showing here a clear clash of interests.

Mahyco, the company that will sell BT Brinjal is also conducting the crucial tests that will declare BT Brinjal safe.

Mahyco says, “Studies showed that there is no significant difference between conventional brinjal and BT brinjal when the products were fed to rats. There is no allergenicity or toxicity seen.”

Meanwhile, Mahyco's arguments have been rubbished by scientists at the international level.

French scientists found 'discrepancies' in their analysis - saying they were ignoring data that showed labs rats developing reproductive problems.

The Australian scientists found that the study has not been carried out for long enough to assess longterm effects.

Which leads to the question are monitoring mechanisms in place?

Minister for science and technology Kapil Sibal said, “We have a very elaborate process before we put any product genetically modified into the market.”

But despite these promises, there seems to be an unseemly haste and lack of transparency in carrying out the experiments, leading both farmers and consumers to ask what Dr Bhargava is asking... is there a vested interest?