Karnataka - Mysore   

Organic farmers to mobilise public opinion against Bt brinjal

MYSORE: Organic farmers in the region have planned to mobilise public opinion against the move to introduce Bt brinjal in the market. They have called for greater public involvement in critical issues related to food and agriculture.

Vivek Cariappa, member, State Organic Farming Mission, said here on Monday that the issue did not pertain to brinjal alone but a whole gamut of vegetables and agricultural produce.

He said that there was a threat to genetic diversity that could impair seed sovereignty of farmers which, in turn, would impact food security.

Like-minded farmers and environmentalists plan to inform the public about genetically modified crops and the risks associated with it in a phased manner. They plan to distribute handbills and pamphlets in the district.

Mr. Cariappa and Julie Cariappa, who are organic farmers in H.D. Kote with more than 20 years of field experience, said that transgenic plants were notoriously unstable and known to behave in unpredictable ways when placed in natural environments.

“The chance of Ayurvedic plants getting contaminated by Bt brinjal cannot be ruled out. Society should not allow destruction of effective medical and nutraceutical system of Ayurveda because of the whim of a scientific community that cannot tolerate a few worms in brinjal,” they said.

Mr. Cariappa said that the States needed to make public the work being done on GM crops in their agricultural universities using public funds. He called for a full report regarding the status of GM research and crops. He said, “Our natural heritage is being jeopardised by unbridled profiteering and a compromised scientific community. We cannot risk losing our internationally acclaimed health systems such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddhi and Homeopathy or Nati medicine to transgenetic contamination.”

Mr. Cariappa said that 85 per cent of the fields in which Bt cotton was introduced had failed or the yield was not significantly different but associated expenditure had multiplied. Similarly, instances of farmer suicides were high in areas where Bt cotton had been taken up on a large scale.

Pointing out that the Indian agricultural system had evolved over thousands of years, Mr. Cariappa said that the American and European methods of agriculture involved high costs and high risk apart from being ecologically unsound and energy-intensive. He added that it was not suitable for India.

The Cariappas said that they had tried to alert the State Government on the risks of GM food but the Organic Farming Mission had not taken the issue seriously. “The mission group has to be pro-active on this issue as GM technology will ring the death knell of organic farming and rural sustainability.”

He said agriculture was a State subject and State governments had an obligation to take a stand and formulate policies regarding GM food based on public opinion and the genetic security of the State. The Union Government should not enter into agreements with other countries on agricultural issues without the consent and consultation of the States, he added.

Mr. Cariappa said that the approval of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee(GEAC) was only the first step towards commercialisation of the seed.

He said that consequent to the introduction of GM food, public spending on health had gone up owing to an increase in cases of cancer, viruses and allergies. Mr. Cariappa said that many bio-tech corporations were known to have given permission for commercialisation of products without adequate testing and trials and this had always backfired on the common man.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Bandipur more a pit stop for travellers
Organic farmers to mobilise public opinion against Bt brinjal
Workshop for staff of CBSE schools
MGP in favour of meters that measure distance
Conference on GM food
‘Autos cause revenue loss’
Concert
Driving track in Mysore yet to materialise
Four Bangalore youths drown
One year since classical tag, but no benefits yet

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu