The battle on Bt Brinjal commercialization reached new heights with the Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh locking horns with the Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar. The Agriculture Minister had publically stated his support for Bt Brinjal approval he told the media yesterday that the central government does not have any say in the decision. This had put in question the public consultations the Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has been holding in 7 cities across the country. In a quick response the environment minister had sent an official letter to Sharad Pawar clearly stating that the issue of Bt Brinjal is a matter of great importance as it is the first genetically modified food crop and there are many concerns raised on this issue. Quoting the case of Bt Cotton, the only GM crop commercialized in India, Jairam Ramesh also empahsised that it is the prerogative of his ministry to take the final call on this matter. A copy of the letter which is attached was also shared with the Environment Support group, Bangalore.
The past few days also saw other ministries coming out in open with their opinions on Bt Brinjal. While the Science and Tech minister came out in support of Bt Brinjal, Minister of State for Health, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi said that we need to take a cautious approach towards Bt Brinjal and he will take up the issue within his ministry.
Responding to the developments, Rajesh Krishnan, sustainable agriculture campaigner, Greenpeace India said that “It is shocking to see that on the one hand experts and public in one voice are raising concerns on Bt Brinjal in the public consultations being held by the Mr Ramesh and on the other hand Union ministers are taking the side of seed Industry and promoting Bt Brinjal. Its high time the government came out in one voice and say on whose side they are, on the side of the citizen or of seed companies.”
Since the beginning of the debate on commercialization of Bt Brinjal last year, atleast 8 state governments have openly declared that they do not want Bt Brinjal to be approved. The latest was Karnataka which joined states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.
Note to the editor
Updates and photographs on all the public consultations so far are available at www.safefoodnow.org
For More Information contact
Rajesh Krishnan, campaign Manager Sustainable Agriculture Campaign, Greenpeace
(M) 91-99845650032 email: rajesh.krishnan@greenpeace.org
Dr. Seema Javed-Sr.Media Officer Greenpeace (M)-91-9910059765
email: seemajaved@greenpeace.org
Europe has banned cultivation of GM food crops. And stipulates that any packaged food product that has more than 9% of GM food content in it must be labeled. The US is finding out just how bad GM foods have been for their population: More and more poeple there believe that allergies, skin ailments, cancers, obesit, and a whole host of medical problems are caused by GM foods. Why are we blindly following the West and making the same mistakes that they have made. Instead of learning from their mistakes and adopting organic farming techniques. Well, I guess that is not in the interest of large corporates like Monsanto and their Indian subsiidiary Mahyco.