Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: India on Tuesday decided not to introduce commercial variety of Bt Brinjal as there is not enough scientific research material available on the possible long term impacts of the genetically modified (GM) crop.
Announcing his decision before expected, Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh said he was imposing a moratorium on Bt Brinjal's commercial introduction till the time independent scientific research did not produce satisfactory results.
Refusing to specify any time frame for the moratorium,
Ramesh made it clear that it was confined to Bt-Brinjal and
will not cover the larger issue of genetic engineering and
biotechnology in agriculture.
"Impose a moratorium on the release of Bt Brinjal till such time that independent scientific studies establish satisfaction of both public and professionals, the safety of the product from the point of view of long-term impact on human health and environment," Ramesh said at a press conference here.
“When there is no unity in scientists on the issue; state governments have opposed it; when Bt Brinjal will be the first GM food to be introduced in India, it is my duty to adopt a precautionary approach,” he said.
Jairam cited opposition from scientists, civil society groups, common citizens, as a basis for his decision.
Ramesh clarified that the moratorium in no way implied a "conditional acceptance" of Bt Brinjal.
"I would like to say that this approach (moratorium) is responsible to the scientific community and responsive to the society," he said.
The minister also clarified that the moratorium was to the version of Bt Brinjal being developed by Maharashtra-based firm Mahyco. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, the University of Agriculture in Dharwad (Karnataka) and two laboratories of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research are also developing genetically modified versions of brinjal.
Asked about the possibility of spurious Bt Brinjal seeds making their way into the market, Ramesh said it was up to state governments to check this. "I hope we don't see a repeat of Bt Cotton where spurious and illegal Bt Cotton seeds found their way into the market," he said.
“A lot of submissions have been made from various entities. The GEAC will look into the matter again on the principles given by eminent scientists like Swaminathan, Bhargava etc.
He added that there was no urgency to introduce the Bt Brinjal.
"I have followed democratic, transparent and often
acrimonious process. I have put my decision before people," Jairam said of his tour of various cities where he sought views of the scientific comunity and civil society on the issue.
The decision on Bt Brinjal was originally scheduled to be announced Wednesday, but the environment minister advanced the declaration by a day. "I had some other appointments tomorrow so I announced the decision today," he told a TV channel.
India is the world's largest brinjal producer. West Bengal produces more than any other state, and the Left Front government there was one of the 11 that had declared it would not allow commercial release of Bt Brinjal.
The supporters of the genetically modified crop have pointed out that it would reduce pesticide use and thus improve yields, while bringing down input costs for farmers.
First Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 00:24