GMW: Crops on trial in India/Candlelit vigils across the country

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GMW: Crops on trial in India/Candlelit vigils across the country

" GM WATCH " <info

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:18:33 GMT

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

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1.Crops on trial

2.Candlelit vigils across the country

 

EXTRACTS: " Why are they so concerned about exports? We should think of

filling our own bellies first. Bt rice will help increase productivity

by reducing crop damage due to pest attacks, " M.K. Sharma, managing

director of [Monsanto-]Mahyco, told Frontline... he dodged the fact that

the places in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh where Bt cotton use is

amongst the highest are also the areas from where the largest number of

suicides by farmers were reported. (item 1)

 

" This is in reality an organised murder. Farmers are falling because of

the anti-farming policies that are being propagated. The tragedy is

that the hand that feeds the nation is being deliberately chopped-off. " -

Devinder Sharma (item 2)

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1.Crops on trial

 

 

DIONNE BUNSHA

Frontline, Volume 23 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 18-Dec.1, 2006

INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE from the publishers of THE HINDU

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20061201003603000.htm

 

[image caption: Activists from the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association

destroying a GE rice trial crop in Ramanathapuram, 20 km from Coimbatore.]

 

The Bharatiya Kisan Union's movement against the field trials of Bt

rice reopens the debate on GM crops.

 

THE tranquil routine of Rangaraju's retired life, in Ramanathapuram

village near Coimbatore, was in for a rude shock. On the morning of

November 10, people from the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association landed up

at his

doorstep. They wanted to uproot the harvest in his farm. The farmers

told him that his rice field had a genetically modified (GM) crop whose

harvest could contaminate food supplies if it was not destroyed. A

bewildered Rangaraju did not know how to react. He asked them for time to

consult Mahyco, the company that was conducting a field trial on his

plot. But before he knew it, the 150-strong crowd had uprooted the Bt

rice

crop from his field. In a matter of one day, this former schoolteacher

found himself in the midst of an international controversy.

 

" We didn't know what kind of rice they were growing, " Hemalata, his

daughter, told Frontline over the phone. " My father signed an agreement

with the company, but didn't study it carefully. We thought it was a

hybrid seed, we didn't know it was something different. " Hemalata's

family

feels cheated. " It is fraud by the company. They did not tell us much.

Let us hope it will not put our next crop in danger. "

 

Rangaraju is not alone. In October, Bharatiya Kissan Union (BKU)

activists burned the harvest of Bt rice trials in two farms, in

Haryana and

Uttar Pradesh. In Rampura village in Karnal district of Haryana,

activists burned the field to prevent contamination. In Rudrapur

village in

Gorakhpur district of U.P., they got the police to seize the grain that

was lying in the plot. Along with the local panchayat president, the BKU

filed a police complaint against Mahyco, the Department of

Biotechnology and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC),

for several

violations found in a GM rice trial plot.

 

Here too, the farmers and the panchayat were not aware that the seeds

were genetically modified and they had no clue about the likely dangers

of growing them in their fields. They had merely leased out the land to

Mahyco and signed the agreements without knowing what GM meant. The

company is conducting 10 field trials of Bt rice in six States.

 

" They are toying with farmers' ignorance about GM technology, " said

Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of the BKU. " Knowing the unreliable track

record of the company and the state regulators, we had to destroy the

crop

to prevent contamination from the trial plots into the food supply

chain where unwary consumers are eating untested products. This is all

the

more dangerous in a Basmati rice-growing belt of the country. The

Department of Biotechnology's guidelines require destruction of the GM

plant

material after the trial. By burning the crop, we have made sure these

guidelines are not flouted. "

 

Bt rice is a genetically engineered seed designed to make the crop

resistant to pests such as stem borer and leaf folder. The seeds are

created by inserting a synthetic version of a gene (called Cry1Ac) from a

naturally occurring soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

into

the plant's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) so that the plant creates its

own toxin to destroy the pests. India has allowed the commercial sale of

Bt cotton seeds, and the trials for Bt brinjal are also under way.

 

In September, the Supreme Court temporarily stopped GEAC from granting

permission for any more field trials of GM crops. The court was

responding to a petition that pointed out several irregularities in the

regulatory procedures. Currently, Indian rules allow field trials to

start

even before biosafety tests are completed. Moreover, monitoring of these

trials are extremely lax, almost non-existent. The petition also

pointed out the inherent conflict of interest evident in the

constitution of

regulatory authorities. Senior office-bearers and members of the GEAC

are also part of biotech industry-promoted bodies or crop developers

themselves in their personal or institutional capacities. Currently,

around 150 trials for GE food crops are under way, ranging from

brinjal to

tomato, mustard, maize and, of course, rice.

 

No country has cleared the commercial sale of Bt rice. Its impact on

human health has not yet been tested fully. A recent study in Madhya

Pradesh found that farm workers exposed to Bt cotton had allergies -

skin eruptions, swollen faces and so on. Moreover, the Bt toxin can enter

the human digestive system and interfere with the bacteria in the

intestines. The Cry1Ac gene is a powerful immunogen and can prompt

adverse

reactions from the immune system. Studies worldwide have shown that

eating GM food could result in wasteful growth of gut tissues, bacterial

proliferation, intestinal tumours, immune system suppression, and

interference with the development of vital organs and reproduction.

Earlier

this year, there were mass deaths of cattle grazing on the remains in

harvested Bt cotton fields in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh.

 

Besides, GM plants could harm the environment and biodiversity. Once

out in the fields, there is no way of knowing whether normal plant

varieties have been contaminated by the GM variety through

pollination, which

could lead to the extinction of local crop varieties. Moreover, there

is also a danger that insects could develop resistance to the toxin,

after which more pesticides would be needed to get rid of them.

 

Farmers' groups are not alone in their protest against GM crops.

Recently, rice exporters held a press conference with Greenpeace

demanding

that the government halt the field trials. They are worried that if there

is any contamination, it could harm exports. In August, rice exports of

the United States were adversely affected when it was found that

certain consignments contained GM-contaminated rice. The U.S.

Department of

Agriculture (USDA) admitted that a variety of Bayer's Liberty Link rice

that was not approved for consumption or cultivation anywhere in the

world (LL rice 601) had been detected in rice intended for export. This

raised an alarm in the European Union and Japan and adversely affected

U.S. rice trade. Indian exporters are scared that Indian exports could

be similarly harmed if there is even a slight doubt of contamination.

 

" It is shocking and unfortunate that the government is allowing even

small-scale field trials of GE rice in the Basmati-growing region. This

is a matter of grave concern for all Basmati rice exporters in this

region, " said Brigadier Anil Adlakha, executive director of the All India

Rice Exporters Association (AIREA). " Any contamination from GE rice

field trials will be a death knell for millions of farmers and exporters.

We want the government to draw the correct lesson from the plight of the

U.S. rice industry and stop further GE rice field trials in this region

now. If the government does not heed our warning, it could prove to be

a costly and irreversible blunder, " he said.

 

 

Greenpeace recently found that GE rice from field trials in China had

found its way into imported Chinese rice products in France, Germany and

the United Kingdom. Indian exporters are afraid that India's trade will

suffer if any part of the harvest from field trials in the country

finds its way into food supplies. At present, India exports 400 million

tonnes of rice worth Rs.700 crores.

 

" Why are they so concerned about exports? We should think of filling

our own bellies first. Bt rice will help increase productivity by

reducing crop damage due to pest attacks, " M.K. Sharma, managing

director of

Mahyco, told Frontline. As much as 20 per cent of the yield could be

lost owing to the stem borer pest, which Bt rice guards against, he

added.

Sharma said that Bt cotton sales had been rising exponentially every

year because farmers found them effective. However, he dodged the fact

that the places in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh where Bt cotton use is

amongst the highest are also the areas from where the largest number of

suicides by farmers were reported.

 

Outraged at the protests against the field trials, Sharma said, " These

people are preventing technology from reaching farmers. They are

standing in the way of scientific research. While testing is still

under way,

how can they say that the crop is dangerous? They have done this for

cheap publicity and we have filed a police complaint against them for

damaging our trial crop. " He countered the allegation that proper norms

were not adhered to. " We have followed all the rules, keeping 20-metre

isolation around the field to prevent pollination outside. The question

of contamination does not arise as we were about to burn the field as

per the regulations so that there is no trace of any plant material.

Moreover, the farmers had full knowledge of the trial. They signed

agreements with us in which all the conditions were laid out. "

 

Environmental and agricultural research groups insist that they too

were asking for scientific and transparent research. " While dealing with

such technology, we have to follow the precautionary principle, " said

Kavitha Kuruganti from the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad.

" Until independent scientific laboratory studies show that this crop is

safe for human consumption, the government should not allow any field

trials to take place. " At present, the biosafety testing is done by the

company itself.

 

Even though signatures were taken, field trials were conducted without

warning the plot owners about the environmental hazards. " Contamination

can take place even beyond the isolation distance. State and local

authorities weren't informed either. Regulatory agencies are not

monitoring

the field trials properly, " Kuruganti said. During field trials of Bt

cotton and Bt brinjal, it was found that untested products from the

trials were being sold in the local market, she added.

 

Often GE technology is pushed as the solution to India's food security

problem. However, environmental groups challenge this assumption,

asserting that there are several other indigenous plant varieties that

can

boost farm productivity. " The real solutions for sustainable rice

production already exist in farms around the world. They are based on

traditional knowledge combined with cutting-edge technology, and are

far more

reliable and acceptable than destructive industrial agriculture and

imprecise genetic engineering, " said Nammalwar, well-known organic

farming

scientist.

 

" The world's most important staple crop is too important to gamble

with. There are 140,000 different varieties of rice, with an enormous

diversity of traits such as resistance to different pests and diseases

and

capacity to grow in salty or dry conditions, " said Divya Raghunandan

from Greenpeace India.

 

" We don't need genetic engineering to take advantage of these traits -

we need to preserve this resource and knowledge and combine it with

safe hitech breeding techniques. " Greenpeace has just released a report

called 'The Future of Rice' by scientists Dr. Emerlito Borromes and Dr.

Debal Deb, which explains that GE technology is unnecessary since other

more sustainable options exist to increase rice yields. Judging by the

way field trials are being conducted, it seems like it is not only the

farmers on whose plots the tests are under way, but also the Indian

people at large who are left clueless of the dangers that GE technology

could unleash.

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2.PRESS RELEASE

 

" Gandhigiri " brings together the country for the cause of farmers.

Candlelight vigils being organised across the country.

 

New Delhi, Nov 21:

 

What began as a sombre exercise to express anguish at the continuing

demise of the farming community -- triggered by the anti-farmer policies

of the government -- by lighting a candle at the Jantar Mantar on Nov

16, has now spread throughout the country. Candlelight vigils are being

organised across the country in solidarity with the fast-unto-death

undertaken by the veteran freedom-fighter Mohan Dharia, and also to draw

the attention of the people and policymakers towards the terrible

agrarian crisis that afflicts the

countryside.

 

" Every five hours one farmers commits suicide somewhere in the

country, " says food and trade policy analyst Devinder Sharma, adding:

" This is

in reality an organised murder. Farmers are falling because of the

anti-farming policies that are being propagated. The tragedy is that the

hand that feeds the nation is being deliberately chopped-off. "

 

The crisis in the agrarian sector is driving the farmers to increasing

debt and suicide. Official statistics put the total suicides in a

decade to 1.5 lakhs.

 

Concerned citizens organised a candlelight vigil at Bhubaneshwar on Nov

18. A day later, on Nov 19, some members of the Telangana Jana Parishad

went on hunger protest at Hyderabad in support of veteran freedom

fighter and Socialist Leader Mohan Dharia (80) who is fast on to death in

Pune.

 

A candlelight vigil is being organised at Thiruvananthapuram on Nov 21.

Among the organisers of the Candlelight vigil to be held at Statue

Junction in the heart of the city, Sridhar R of the NGO Thanal, asks:

" The

big question remains - Why is the Prime Minister silent over the

hundreds dying every week? Would the Government have done the same if

a few

corporates or even if a few officials in the governments or any other

organised sector is forced to such extents? "

 

Farmers across the country has been asking the Dr Manmohan Singh

Government and Sri Sharad Pawar's Ministry of Agriculture to take

effective

steps to address the agrarian situation and stop farmers from suiciding.

The packages that the Government has offered in the Vidharbha region

and for the other states including for Wyanad and Palakkad in Kerala has

not done anything to redeem the situation. The government should

immediately write-off the outstanding dues of farmers owing less than 5

acres of irrigated land or 20 acres of unirrigated land.

 

Added to this, the Government should stop the policies that will

further fuel the crisis, all in the name of helping the corporate and

MNC-driven industrial growth to prosper.

 

Candlelight vigils are also planned at Kolkata in West Bengal, Dharwad

in Karnataka and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh on Nov 22. Similar vigils

have also been announced for Lucknow, Hyderabad and Jaito in Punjab on

Nov 23. On Nov 27, the well-known humanitarian society in Punjab,

Pingalwara, has decided to hold a candlelight vigil at Amritsar. Among

the

other places where candlelight vigils are being planned are Kochi and

Thrissur in Kerala; Chennai and Nagappatam in Tamil Nadu; Faridkot,

Ludhiana and Bathinda in Punjab and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh.

 

Meanwhile, Vidharba Jan Parishad, a federation of civil society groups,

has given a call to hold a day-long dharna in front of the offices of

the district collectors of the 11 districts of Vidharba region on Nov

28.

 

" We will follow Mahatma Gandhi's principle of non-violence to bring

thegreatest tragedy to the public fore, " says Mr Sharma. " But what is

shameful is that the government continues to bring the industrial-driven

model of agriculture and is trying to push farmers out of agriculture. "

 

For more details, contact Devinder Sharma: 9811301857

 

 

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