The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) is slated to approve multi locational research trials of a number genetically modified (GM) food crops at its meeting on Friday. These GM crops include six Bt rice hybrids, three Bt okra hybrids, two GM corn crops, eight Bt eggplant hybrids. The six Bt rice hybrids developed by Mahyco slated to undergo field trials are MRP 5305 Bt, MRP 5319 Bt, MRP 5401 Bt, MRP 5445 Bt, MRP 5629 Bt and MRP 5631 Bt. Field trials are slated to be conducted in 12 locations in 10 states.

Our analysis of the Indian situation indicates that the VAD-argument is not credible as a justification or motivation for promoting ”Golden Rice” in India. We surmise that the central government authorities enthusiasm for ”Golden Rice” is propelled by other un-stated factors. One of these could well be the determination not to bypass the opportunity to secure the technological know-how embedded in the ”Golden Rice” for the public-sector research institutions working on transgenic crops. The introduction of ”Golden Rice”, in the teeth of the well argued opposition to it by activist CSOs and parts of the non-GM R&D establishment and the media, is likely to further erode public trust in the biotechnology promoting authorities and companies.

At long last a delegation of the hapless farmers’ widows of Vidarbha region who have committed suicides got an audience with the President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Friday to draw his attention to their hapless and helpless condition. Dr Kalam in rapt attention heard the woes of the widows who reportedly broke down while narrating their tale of woes and plight. The scheduled allotted time of five minutes for the meeting got stretched to 25 minutes. [...] The memorandum demanded, among other things, a blanket ban on Bt. cottonseeds in the dry land farming areas. It also urged a ban on misleading advertisements of Bt. cottonseeds.

AT a stage when agriculture growth has come down from 4 to 2.6 per cent, experts say a lot is in store when it comes to genetically modified (GM) products. Apples that could fight tooth cavity, nicotine-free coffee, plant-based edible vaccines, Vitamin A-enriched golden rice, genetically modified tomatoes with much longer shelf life et al is the future, said R G Saini, a senior Geneticist from Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, at a workshop on agriculture biotechnology held at Chandigarh Press Club today.

The All-India Crop Biotechnology Association, a representative of 15 seed companies based in New Delhi, believes that Bollgard II cotton seeds, a higher variety of Bt cotton seeds, are more effective and need to be priced at a premium to Bollgard I cotton seeds. Bollgard seed contains a protein from a soil microbe called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), that protects the crop from bollworms and requires less pesticide. While Bollgard I protects against lepidopteran insect pests, Bollgard II with its unique double gene technology in addition offers protection against spodoptera caterpillar. The association has recently announced that various state governments and the seed industry have agreed in principle to an MRP (minimum retail prices) of Rs 925 per 450 gm packet against Rs 750 for Bollgard I cotton seeds.

In a significant move, the Andhra Pradesh government plans to bring in a new legislation to regulate the sale and usage of ’genetically modified’ (GM) seeds. Speaking to media here on Thursday, the AP agriculture minister N Raghuveera Reddy said that the government is considering the possibility to bring in a legislation to control the usage including the sale of GM seeds.

I am sending a brief note on ”US-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative” agreement on agriculture for your kind perusal. The entire agreement is shroud in mystery and the farmers of the country have serious apprehensions about the real intent and motive of the joint agreement. Indian Agricultural Scientists have done a very splendid job through years of sustained research. Their scientific acumen and compatibility can match the best of faculty in the world. This agriculture agreement will oblige our scientist to became a tool in the hands of the multinationals for advancement & promotion of their interest in India. I would like to give a brief on the entire gamut of the US-India agreement as the matter concerns India’s sovereignty and the future of Indian agriculture.

Unfazed by the Centre’s decision to remove cotton from the Essential Commodities Act, the State Government has decided to invoke provisions of the Environment Protection Act to keep a check on Bt Cotton seed manufacturers and suppliers. As the efforts to convince the Centre yet to yield results so far, the Government made an in-depth study of other alternatives and it stumbled upon provisions under the Environment Protection Act that came handy. It decided to invoke the provisions under the EP Act that empowers seed inspectors of the Agriculture Department to inspect, search and seize the genetically modified seed varieties, including the Bt Boll Guard I and II versions.

India’s rich biodiversity and the developments in biotechnology could be used to develop sound businesses, Member of Parliament and agriculture visionary M.S. Swaminathan told students and researchers here on Monday. He congratulated S. Chellaiah, chairman of Tajmahal Agro Industries, and his team on adhering to the best agricultural practices while developing Moolgiri, a new variety of low glycemic rice, considered good for diabetics.

The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) along with international partners including OECD Watch, India Committee of the Netherlands, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe and Eine Welt Netz NRW, released a report today focused on the impact of interventions by the multinational corporations Bayer and Monsanto on child labor on farms producing their cottonseeds in India. The report was released in advance of World Day Against Child Labor, which takes place on June 12.