The Hindu : National : Farmers seek ban on GM crops

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Farmers seek ban on GM crops

Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI: Several hundred farmers under the banner of “Coalition for a GM-free India” gathered here on Tuesday to demand a ban on genetically modified (GM) crops and food, saying these would affect not only humans but also livestock, soil and environment.

They urged political parties to take a categorical stand on GM crops in the run-up to the general elections. “It is an unwanted, irretrievable, undesirable technology,” they said.

The protesters were supported in their call for a GM-free India by representatives of political parties across the spectrum. Celebrities like Milind Soman, Nafisa Ali, Nandita Das, Amla Akkineni, Sonal Mansingh and Rabbi Shergill also declared their support. Vandana Shiva, Yudvir Singh and members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union also participated in the protest.

Addressing the farmers, BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said GM crops were yet another attempt by corporates to take over Indian agriculture.

Rajya Sabha member K. Malaisamy and his colleagues from the AIADMK said GM crops would affect the entire country.

The protest comes at a time when regulators were considering applications for (experimental) seed production for Mahyco’s Bt brinjal, the first such genetically modified vegetable in the world. Criticising the claim that GM crops were the answer to food security, the Coalition said experience with GM soyabean had shown that the largest cultivated GM crop in the world had actually shown a decrease in yields with genetic modification.

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