Monsanto looks beyond Bt brinjal

Even as the country awaits the final word on genetically modified brinjal, seed company Monsanto is moving ahead with new products.

Monsanto (India) is testing a new variety of corn (maize) that it claims would be able to control both insects and weeds, along with several hybrids that it plans to launch soon.

This is a two-step technology. The first is to introduce the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) gene into the corn for insect protection. The second one is to introduce a protein into the plant to give it tolerance against herbicide.

The idea is to use Monsanto's own herbicide, glyphosate, to drench the crops and crop land with it. The plant would remain unaffected as it is protected by the protein, while the weeds around it are killed. The herbicide goes by the commercial name of Roundup.

It is currently undergoing field trials in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore. "If everything goes according to the timeline, it should be introduced by 2012-2013," says Gyanendra Shukla, director, Monsanto (India), says. 

Seventy five per cent of this corn is intended for use as feed and starch.

Last February, the commercial cultivation of genetically modified brinjal (Bt brinjal) was put on hold by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, following long-term safety concerns of genetically modified food on human health. The Genetic Engineering and Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is taking a fresh look at the issues and is likely to set up independent laboratories for testing.

However, Monsanto's herbicide-tolerant corn has faced considerable criticism elsewhere. Some studies have alleged there are serious environmental and ecological impacts of this technology.

Reports appearing in journals in the US after the technology was introduced there said after an initial reduction for some years in herbicide usage overall, when GM (genetically modified) crops are first planted, herbicide use then begins to rise in response to growing resistance.

Studies have said genes engineered to instill resistance to herbicides can migrate to non-GM  crops - such as those that may be found on a neighboring farm, and even related wild plants - among the very weeds the herbicides were designed to kill.

Devinder Sharma, an analyst, says there is no way to ensure the corn will not be sold as a food product as well.

Shukla, however, said  Roundup is one of the safest herbicide chemicals. "It has a history of 35 years of safety across the globe."  He did not deny reports of resistance. "Resistance is natural and does happen. The important thing is to see that we put a strategy into place that it can be delayed," he said. Weed control has been enabled by Roundup, he said.

"This is giving a choice to the farmer who would otherwise manually weed these. Most plants are planted within a narrow window and labour is hard to get in the season. Labour may be available theoretically but not when you want it," he said on why it would be advantageous for the Indian farmer.

Shukla expects the regulatory system to get better after the Bt brinjal controversy. "The system would be stronger. I expect the process to become smoother and better," he said. No one disagrees on the need for better seeds and more choices in technology, he said.

In India, Monsanto's business is structured under more than one entity. Monsanto Holdings Private Ltd, a 100 per cent wholly-owned subsidiary of Monsanto Company, focused on cotton and vegetables, hybrid seeds and technologies, has a 26 per cent stake in the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company, better known as Mahyco. And, a 50:50 joint venture company, Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech, to market cotton biotechnologies.