Demand to halt GE brinjal trials

In the wake of reports of illegal genetically modified rice from field trials in China contaminating food products in France, Germany and the UK, Greenpeace-India, along with some consumer bodies, yesterday demanded an immediate halt to similar brinjal trials in India.

"What has happened in Europe over the past three days is just the First Information Report of an ongoing crime. The manipulated gene found to be tainting the banned rice in China is the same which is being introduced into our brinjal," GP-Indian campaigner Divya Raghuraman said, adding that since brinjal is a primary food crop, it will at once spread in the market once it gets approval from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC).

Representing the Consumers Guidance Society of India (CGSI), Arvind Shenoy demanded that there should be a comprehensive levelling of all GM food items.

"The multinationals developing the GM crops cannot fool the consumers. Moreover, the onus must be fully on the importer if the crops breach bio-safety norms and lead to health problems," Shenoy said.

Scientist and Vice Chairman of National Knowledge Commission, P M Bhargava said that even though alternatives to Bt crops are available which can be developed indigenously, our country is still taking help from multinationals.

"The MNCs involved in the process have only one objective... to take control over the entire agro-business of the country," he alleged.