Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw frowns on Bt Brinjal decision

London, Feb 12: Biotech entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who had earlier called for a non-political and unemotional decision on the Bt Brinjal, has now said that the Indian government's move to put the genetically modified (GM) vegetable in the cold storage for now has sent out a 'wrong signal' to the industry.

"This is a very wrong signal government has sent to the industry," Ms Shaw told reporters here.

Shaw said that the government, 'unfortunately', yielded to the pressure of some NGOs and green activists, instead of holding discussions on a scientific platform.

Taking the example of Bt Cotton, which was also initially seen with apprehension in the country , Biocon India chairperson said, “India is the second largest Bt cotton producer in the world."

On Feb 10, Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh announced the government's decision to to put a moratorium on Bt Brinjal after holding nation-wide consultations, during which he faced protests against the commercial introduction of the genetically modified vegetable.

OneIndia News