Agriculture and food security experts express concern over the adverse impact on the farm sector of GM mustard commercialisation
As India appears set to commercialise GM mustard, the Institute of Science in Society has published a briefing on the risks of the male sterility technology that has been genetically engineered into the crop:
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Teminator_Mustard_Must_Not_be_Released.php
1. “Commercial cultivation of GM mustard is harmful”
2. NGO warns Punjab govt against field trials for GM mustard, maize crops
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1. “Commercial cultivation of GM mustard is harmful”
The Times of India, 4 Sept 2015
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Commercial-cultivation-of-GM-mustard-is-harmful/articleshow/48795762.cms
Agriculture and food security sector experts on Thursday expressed their concerns over the adverse impact on farm sector due to the possibility of GM mustard being cultivated commercially in India.
Agricultural technologies in the seed sector such as GM mustard is detrimental to overall farm sector, they opined at a meeting in Gujarat Vidyapith. The meeting discussed pressure from trade rules, constituted under World Trade Organization (WTO), on agrarian countries like India which will have a direct impact on food and livelihood security.
The two-day state level gathering in Gujarat Vidyapith is being attended by more than 100 delegates from across Gujarat, representing all kinds of stake holders from agriculture and food security sector. It has been organized by Jatan Trust in collaboration with 20 organizations including farmers' unions.
One of the speakers at the function, Afsar Jafri, who is a member of the Focus on the Global South Organization, claimed that India needs to find a permanent solution to the challenge posed by the rigged rules of WTO on the public stockholding for food security, under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA).
He said, "Peace clause that India has secured holds no solution for ensuring that our food security mechanism reaches all consumers. It doesn't mean that producers get maximum livelihood security through food grain procurement by the government for the public distribution system."
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2. NGO warns Punjab govt against field trials for GM mustard, maize crops
The Times of India, 19 June 2015
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/NGO-warns-Punjab-govt-against-field-trials-for-GM-mustard-maize-crops/articleshow/47727757.cms
Punjab chapter of the NGO 'Coalition for GM free India' has warned the state government against going ahead with field trials of genetically modified mustard and maize crops. The NGO has decided to oppose trials and commercial cultivation of these crops in future. The NGO, taking along other social groups, has decided to launch a campaign against Punjab government's efforts to start trials with the theme "Say no to GMOs in farming and food" from Bathinda from Saturday.
The Coalition for GM Free India and another NGO Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) have also asked residents of Punjab to raise voice to save Punjab's traditional recipe of "makki di roti te sarson da saag". "The trademark 'makki di roti te sarson da saag' will not remain the same once the commercial cultivation of GM mustard and maize is allowed. We need to oppose it and declare that Punjabis are not lab rats," said KVM executive director Umendra Dutt.
He said that field trials were being done at Punjab Agricultural University research centre and it wouldn't be long when the government allowed cultivation of GM crops. Dutt said that Delhi University's GM mustard was like a backdoor entry for herbicide-tolerant crops in India. "The herbicide tolerant version has been rejected by various committees formed by the Union government over the years given the health, environmental and enormous socio-economic impact that it will leave on rural employment," he said.