GURTs & GM Mustard + ICRISAT & DBT on Genomics + Ocean Tech + Wheat & Sugar Trade

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In This NEWS Bulletin ******************************* On GMOs---- 1. Apex court concerned over use of GURTs in transgenic mustard 2. ICRISAT and DBT sign MoU to set up genomics centre 3. India ready to exploit sea wealth with home tech 4. India eyes 74 mt wheat harvest 5. Govt might lift ban on sugar exports -- Apex court concerned over use of GURTs in transgenic mustard http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=149071 ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 0256 hours IST NEW DELHI, DEC 15:

The Supreme Court on Friday raised concern over the possibility of the deployment of genetic use restrictive technologies (GURTs) by Delhi University in the development of its transgenic mustard crop. The apex court bench consisting of Chief Justice YK Sabarwal, Justice Thakkar and Justice Ravindran asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to asses and report as to whether GURTs had been deployed in the development of the transgenic mustard seeds and as to how they would manage the situation if GURTs were found to be deployed. The GEAC was told to report by mid-January, 2007, the date fixed for the next hearing. The apex court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Aruna Rodgrigues and others seeking a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops. In the PIL, Aruna Rodrigues had drawn the attention of the Supreme Court by suspecting the application of GURTs in the development

of the crop. India, being a signatory to the UN Convention of Biodiversity, is bound by the tenants of the global treaty which discourages the use of terminator technology and GURTs. Terminator technology is a part of GURTs which produces terminator seeds which do not germinate when saved for the next crop season. The country’s law, Plant Varieties Protection & Farmers’ Rights Act, has banned the registration and use of terminator seeds. The Supreme Court had earlier imposed a ban on the fresh approval of any GM crop for field trials till further orders. However, on October 13, 2006 it made a case of exception by allowing contained field trials of GM mustard, DMH-11 developed by Delhi University. Delhi University had assured that it would follow all biosafety norms and agreed to uproot the crop if the apex court passed such a ruling in the future on account of failure to adhere to the necessary

precautions. In the ongoing PIL, Aruna Rodrigues and others, pointing to health and environmental hazards of GM crops and GURTs, had also cited expert evidences put forth by three leading international specialists namely, Doug Gurian-Sherman of the Centre for Food Safety, Washington; Jack Heinemann, director, Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety in the University of Canterbury and Joe Cummins, professor-emeritus of genetics in the University of Western Ontario. The petitioners have claimed the Delhi University had suppressed facts about its GM mustard crop, DMH-11. They have said that DMH-11 is not identical to the developed and trial tested Ms8/Rf3 (GM canola crops) in Europe, the US, Canada and Australia as claimed by the Delhi University. Aruna Rodrigues and others in their affidavit have said that Barnase-Barstar mutations in DHM-11 mustard may be GURTs. “The data in

the IA is incomplete. It is not known whether this particular Barnase-Barstar system in the GM mustard is intended to be used as a GURT, which forces the farmer to buy new seed in every planting season or as a tool for making hybrids.” Mustard or brassica juncea is an open pollinating crop which out-crosses pretty well and hence there is a danger of pollen flow from DMH-11 to other crops or wild relatives.- ICRISAT and DBT sign MoU to set up genomics centre http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=149069 ASHOK B SHARMA COMMODITIES BUREAU Posted online: Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 0253 hours IST NEW DELHI, DEC 15:

International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in collaboration with he Indian government’s department of biotechnology (DBT) has planned to establish a Center of Excellence in Genomics. This centre is slated to be set up at ICRISAT’s complex located in Patencheru in Andhra Pradesh. DBT will provide the necessary financial support. According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by ICRISAT director-general William D Dar and DBT secretary MK Bhan, the project will strengthen the existing molecular breeding facilities at ICRISAT to a high throughput, cost-effective facility, which can be used for crop improvement research. The facility is expected to be fully operational over the course of the year 2007. The project will also be open to researchers from other agricultural research institutes. The project will provide high-throughput, low-cost, allele detection platforms, to help

in molecular-marker assisted selection and breeding, access to large-scale field screening for abiotic stresses, such as drought and salinity, biometrics (agricultural statistics) and bioinformatics support, fellowships and training courses for scientists and students from the Indian institutes in the use of high-throughput methods in breeding and research. According to Dar, the partnership with DBT will help in improving agricultural productivity using improved tools cost-effectively. This will help in alleviating the poverty of smallholder farmers in the dryland areas of India and the rest of the developing world. He said that the project would be a model of growth for enhancing South-South cooperation, since its results will be beneficial for India and other developing countries where ICRISAT works. It will provide new technological options, build capacity of scientists and also accelerate crop improvement

by reducing the time required to develop new varieties by half. DBT secretary MK Bhan said that the partnership is significant since it links international research and national research. As a partner, ICRISAT understands the national goals in India and also has the ability to share the products of research with other developing countries. According to him, the project is also significant since it focuses on molecular breeding techniques, which have the potential of giving returns soon enough in terms of improved agricultural productivity. Plant breeding relies on the ability of the breeder to identify individual crop plants with superior characteristics for traits of interest. This often requires taking extensive and complex measurements of crops plants under specific field conditions. This makes the selection process slow, since the breeder often has to wait until the

plants grow to make the selection, he said. Molecular marker-assisted selection reduces this selection time, since selection can be based on DNA analysis of the plants in the lab, without waiting for each generation to grow in the field. Cost-effective techniques based on molecular markers have many applications in plant breeding, and the ability to detect the presence of a gene (or genes) controlling a particular desired trait has given rise to marker-assisted selection and marker-assisted breeding. The approach makes it possible to speed up the selection process and to increase its efficiency. For example, a trait may only be observable in a mature plant, but MAS allows scientists to screen for the trait at the much earlier plantlet or even seed stage by analyzing its DNA.-- India ready to exploit sea wealth with home tech http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=149040 ASHOK B SHARMA COMMODITIES BUREAU Posted online: Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 0116 hours IST NEW DELHI, DEC 15: India is now equipped with modern technologies to churn the deep seas in search of wealth like polymetallic nodules which contain manganese, copper, nickel and cobalt. Indigenously developed underwater crawlers, remotely operable vehicles and in-situ soil management systems can aid explorations at a depth of 6,000 metre below the sea level. There was some small demonstrations to test the efficacy of these equipment. “Now we are ready to have a bigger demonstration project along the east coast. All the developed

technologies would be connected with the Sagar Kanya ship for exploration,” said the Union minister for earth sciences, Kapil Sibal, while addressing a press conference on Friday. International Seabed Authority (ISA) of the United Nations has allotted to India a site of 150,000 sq km in central Indian Ocean for deep-sea exploration. This mining site is located about 2000 km down south of the extreme tip of the Indian peninsula—Kanya Kumari, with the nearest island being 500 km away. India is the only country to be accorded mining rights in the Indian Ocean, other countries are accorded such rights in the Pacific Ocean. With the accorded rights, India would not only be able to exploit potato-shaped polymetallic nodules which are available at depths, greater than 4000 metre, but also explore and harness gas hydrates and manufacture drugs from deep-sea flora and fauna. The

exploration of gas hydrates would help to prevent natural disasters and it can be used for meeting energy needs. The polymetallic nodules contain about 30% manganese, 2% copper and nickel and 0.3% cobalt, apart from traces of other minerals. Copper and nickel are not available in the country’s mainland and hence its exploration in the deep seas would be significant. Sibal said “the exploration technology developed by the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is in a niche area and has placed India in the coveted list of other developed countries which have developed deep-sea technologies. The technology and know-how developed and tested by NIOT will help to explore greater depths in the ocean for deriving benefits from non-living resources. The developed technologies can resist high pressures at sea depths (about 500 times higher than the atmospheric

pressure).”-- India eyes 74 mt wheat harvest http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=148866 ASHOK B SHARMACOMMODITIES BUREAU Posted online : Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, DEC 13: With the increase in the area under wheat, the government feels that its production in 2006-07 would touch 74 million tonne. According to the original estimate, wheat production in the year 2005-06 was around 73 million tonne. However, the government is reluctant to withdraw the dutyfree wheat import facility till its buffer stock is fully replenished. Speaking to mediapersons at the sidelines of the AGM of

Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) in New Delhi on Wednesday, Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said, “In this season the area under wheat cultivation has increased by about 20%. Such an increase in the area under wheat cultivation is marked in major wheat growing states like Punjab, Haryana and also in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Basing on such an increase in the area under wheat cultivation, we can assume that the production would be around 74 million tonne.” On the possibility of weather impacting the crops, the minister said that the official agency, India Meteorological Department (IMD), had indicated the prevalence of congenial weather conditions till February, 2007. The minister said that as per reports received from the states, a majority of the farmers had completed their sowing by November. “We had told the state governments to advise farmers to complete their sowing by November.

Wheat sown by November gives better yields, while those sown after November usually result in lower yields.” On being asked if the government would withdraw the dutyfree wheat import facility on the expectation of a good crop, Pawar said, “We will continue with dutyfree imports till the government’s buffer stock is fully replenished.”------------------------------- Govt might lift ban on sugar exports http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=148868 ASHOK B SHARMA COMMODITIES BUREAU Posted online : Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, DEC 13: With the projected estimates of good sugar production the Union

food and agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar, on Wednesday signalled that it was the right time to decide on the lifting of the ban on sugar exports. He told the industry that if they want total de-control of the sector they should also be prepared for phasing out of the captive cane area so that the farmers could have the competitive advantage of selling to the best bidders. Addressing the 72nd annual general meeting (AGM) of the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) the minister said that according to government estimates sugar output in 2006-07 would be 22.7 million tonne, while the industry has projected it in the range of 23 to 23.5 million tonne. “These estimates point to the fact that this is the right time to decide on lifting the ban on sugar exports,” he said and added, “It is the up to the Cabinet to decide on the issue.” Pawar had earlier, at the behest of the

industry, pleaded for lifting of the export ban, but the Union finance minister, P Chidambaram disapproved saying that the domestic price situation needed to further settle down. In response to the rising prices in the domestic market, the government had clamped a ban on sugar exports in July, 2006. The global prices were lucrative at at time, ruling in the range of $420 to $460 a tonne. The domestic price rise was due to a combination of several factors like hoarding and manipulation in the future markets and not due to shortage. Since the imposition of the export ban, the industry has been lobbying for its removal. The government had at the same time also allowed sugar imports against low duty, but no substantial amount has entered the country. However, against an earlier import regime about 2 million tonne raw sugar was imported and the industry faces an obligation to export

2 million tonne white sugar. So far only 1.1 million tonne white sugar has been exported. ISMA president Chandra Shekhar Nopany pleaded that the industry be allowed to take the advantage of the 12 million tonne trade in the Indian Ocean. As the global prices have fallen to around $350 a tonne, the government should subsidise inland transport and ocean freight to boost exports. Pawar called upon ISMA to conduct studies on the impact of the present regulatory regime on the industry, technological requirements and strengthening management practices in sugar cooperatives.---------- Send free SMS to your Friends on Mobile from your Messenger. Download Now! http://messenger./download.php