'Moratorium on Bt brinjal should stay'

The moratorium on Bt brinjal declared by Jairam Ramesh during his tenure as the environment minister should stay put, said members of the Southern Action on Genetic Engineering (Sage) at a press conference in the city on Tuesday.

“Scientists basically conduct their tests for grants and funding and will base their results accordingly. We need to talk about the very technology and its relevance,” said KC Raghu, managing director, Pristine Organics. He added that while scientists had stated that genetically-modified (GM) crops are the answer to addressing food security, the country really is not facing a crisis. “The truth is that our country has food enough to sustain the whole population. In fact, the world has 17% extra food,” he added.

According to Raghu, GM crops are just another burden on the country’s farmers. “Our farmers have to take care of too many things as it is. From pesticides to hormones, they are burdened. Why should we add to that even more!” he said.

Sage released a statement condemning a recent conference held in the city in favour of GM crops. “We at Sage condemn the attempt of corporate lobbyists to sabotage a decision taken on public interest and after due process,” reads the statement that was signed by environmentalist Yellappa Reddy, Raghu and Suresha KP, director of Green Foundation, among others.

The statement goes on to urge the state to oppose the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2011. “It is an attempt to clandestinely introduce GE (genetic engineering) in agriculture overturning all regulatory mechanism. The bill is for the corporate and by the corporate and, if passed, it will ensure Indian agriculture is in foreign hands,” it adds.