JD (S) leader demands ban on GM crop field trials

Kozhikode, Jul 22 (UNI) Janata Dal (S) Parliamentary Party leader M P Veerendra Kumar today demanded a ban on all GM crop field trials in the country as it impacted biodiversity through pollination leading to extinction of local crop varieties.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Kumar, also the JD (S) Kerala unit president, said the policy decision to develop Bt brinjal using the same gene as that was used in Bt cotton would have detrimental effects on the agricultural, economic, health and ecological fronts.

The harmful effects of herbicides like Round-up that accompanied these seeds caused adverse impact leading to more rapid soil and water erosion as the denuded agro systems of the third world will have no protection against the tropical sun and rain, he said.

Quoting official reports, he said 651 flocks of sheep died in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh after grazing in the Bt cotton fields.

On cost comparision, the letter said Bt cotton farmers used seed at a cost of Rs 1600 per acre against Rs 450 per acre spent by organic farmers.

Cost of pest control was also much higher, an average of Rs 2632 per acre in Bt cotton against Rs 382 in organic sector.

Bt used pesticides like Monocrotuphos, Confidor, Trace, Avarint, Eudosulfab, Acephate, Demethoate, Imidacloprid and others where the organic sector used harmless variant like Neem, Trichoderma and Panchakavya, the letter said.

These higher input costs and lower returns have fuelled in the phenomenon of farmer suicides in various parts of the country, Mr Veerendra Kumar said.

Stating that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee according approval for fields to Mahyco-Monsanto enabling them to commercially launch the world's first BT brinjal in 2007 would be a disaster, he called for an open discussions with farmers, farmers organisations, civil groups, academics, scientists and state governments before arriving at a drastic decision.

UNI PCH ROY RP RS1922