Scientists urge govt to approve Bt Brinjal

An association of biotechnology scientists on Wednesday appealed to the Centre to approve Bt brinjal for commercial cultivation "without further delay" for the benefit of Indian farmers and consumers.

"Delay in commercialisation of Bt brinjal will promote its clandestine cultivation as it happened with Bt cotton in Gujarat which is detrimental to the interests of the country," Prof C Kameshwara Rao, executive secretary, Foundation for Biotechnology Awareness and Education (FBAE) said.

FBAE has sent a letter to Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh highlighting the issue, he said.

Bt brinjal has passed through extensive agronomic and bio-security evaluation as per mandatory provisions of the Indian Regulatory regime during 2000-09.

This process involved about 200 scientists and experts from over 15 public and private sector institutions, the FBAE said in the letter.

The combined global scientific wisdom should be respected in evaluating GE products and the "decisions should not be allowed to be hijacked by vested interests using junk science to pursue inept politics of imported ideological imperialism, often with financial support from foreign agencies to promote their own interests", it said.

"Benefits from Bt technology have been amply demonstrated in India by commercial cultivation of Bt cotton since 2002. None of the dreadful scenarios forecasted for Bt cotton has ever materialised," the FBAE said.

There was a dire need to control the most important insect pests of brinjal that cause shoot and fruit damage resulting in marketable yield losses which are between 50 to 70 per cent annually, it said.

"On an average a farmer spends Rs 6000 per acre on pesticides for his brinjal crop which can be totally avoided if he cultivates Bt brinjal," Dr Manjunath of FBAE claimed. "The opposition to Bt brinjal means to India nothing but reduced marketable yield, increased use of pesticides (which is harmful for consumers and environment). The government has to decide whether to help Indian farmers or pesticide producing corporations," he said.

"Those who are opposing Bt brinjal are persons or organisations which have always blindly opposed GE technology, without admitting even a single benefit from it. It is not Bt brinjal that is opposed but all GE (Genetic Engineering) technology which has done wonders for over 13 years globally," Dr S Shantharam said.

Lamenting the "silence" of researchers and scientists over the issue, Prof Ravindra Reshme termed it "unfortunate" that even before the Centre had made its stand known, Karnataka government had already hastily decided not to permit cultivation of Bt brinjal, without consulting the scientists and weighing the pros and cons.