Govt says it will not permit its cultivation if it poses any threat to human health.
Will the Gujarat government give its approval to the cultivation of Bt brinjal in the state? Though the state government is yet to take a formal decision in the matter, the initial indications are that it is inching towards a clear stand on the issue - saying no to Bt Brinjal if it threatens health.
The state’s forest and environment department has stated that Bt brinjal seeds will kill the biodiversity of the soil and deprive it of its natural richness. The agriculture department is waiting for scientifically prepared reports but the state agriculture minister, Dileep Sanghani, said that they will not give their approval if Bt brinjal has an adverse impact on people’s health. “We will not do anything that poses a threat to human health,” Sanghani told DNA.
Kapil Shah, an activist who has been campaigning against the introduction of Bt brinjal, says that agriculture researchers appeared to be undecided in the matter. While they approved of Bt brinjal’s capacity to increase agricultural productivity, they were apprehensive about its negative impact on human health. Gujarat health minister Jay Narayan Vyas refused to comment on the issue but he did say that we “should not rush into it”.
Gujarat’s opinion on the subject is important as it is one of the few states where Bt cotton farming, the only other genetically modified crop introduced in India, is cultivated extensively.
During the public consultation meeting in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, Union minister of state, environment and forests, Jairam Ramesh, had said that the feedback from Gujarat’s farmers and activists who have had first hand experience of Bt cotton, is very important. The minister has sought opinions from all chief ministers.
Orissa, West Bengal and Karnataka are expected to say no to Bt brinjal.
The state’s principal secretary, environment and forests SK Nanda told DNA that genetically modified food crops would affect Gujaratis extensively as most people in the state were vegetarian.
“There are 180 varieties of brinjal seeds, which give the vegetable a lot of variation in taste,” Nanda said. “Moreover, the richness of the state’s soil will be lost. Uniformity will suppress diversity. We will be killing our biodiversity.”
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