Chhattisgarh orders probe into Bt crops field trial

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Raipur, Nov 24 (UNI) The Chhattisgarh Government has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the 'field trial' of controversial Bt crops at a private farm, near the state capital, where genetically modified paddy and lady finger were cultivated ''without the knowledge of agriculture authorities''.

''It's a sensitive issue involving bio-safety. We are examining whether cases under the criminal law as well as under the Bio-diversity Act could be registered against those concerned,'' state Agriculture Production Commissioner Pankaj Dwivedi told UNI over telephone.

Pointing out that experts from the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University (IGAU) had been asked to conduct a detailed inquiry and submit report, he said preliminary investigations had revealed violation of guidelines meant for conducting such field trials.

Field trial of Bt rice and Bt Lady's finger (Bt Bhindi) sparked a row in the state following a newspaper report that these genetically modified crops were being cultivated at a private farm, located in the close proximity of the IGAU premises in the state capital.

Subsequently, state agriculture minister Nankiram Kanwar, accompanied by senior officials of agriculture department and IGAU scientists, visited the farm and ordered destroying of these crops.

Bt paddy had already been harvested while Bt Lady's finger (Bhindi) crop, being cultivated in an area of about two acres, were destroyed by setting it on fire.

Bt rice is a genetically-engineered seed designed to make the crop resistant to pests such as stem borer and leaf folder. The seeds were created by inserting a synthetic version of a gene (called Cry1Ac) from a naturally occurring soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) into the plant's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) so that the plant creates its own toxin to destroy the pests.

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