Krishan Bir Chaudhary is executive chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj, India"s largest farmer organisation. He is a farmer and leader, known for his anti - GM and anti-globalisation views, and for speaking out about the losses incurred by local farmers in the light of agricultural globalisation and liberalisation.

Peoples’ Saarc suggested right to food and other basic needs like health and education. It called for a visa-free South Asia to ensure free movement of the people, creation of a peaceful demilitarized region free from conflict and the need for removing discriminations based on gender, caste, religion, language and ethnic considerations. It called for a ban on genetically modified crops to save the region from genetic contamination and conservation and preservation of the Himalayan ecology.

The government of Andhra Pradesh has called for a ban on Bt cotton seeds after the death of cattle grazing on leftover Bt cotton fields. The Genetic Engineering Approval Committed has said the problem requires scientific investigation. It has sent a fact-finding team to the affected areas.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, [the Agriculture Commissioner Poonam Malakondaiah] said the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops, engineered for a specific trait, was also resulting in new pest problems. This called for a regular monitoring and surveillance system to know the status of pests, which was a pre-requisite for effective implementation of integrated pest management. [...] The department had also cautioned farmers against opting for Bt cotton crops in rain-fed areas.

Seven hundred newly elected representatives of Panchayats in Orissa and the Governing Body members of Orissa Nari Samaj - a confederation of 53 block-level tribal women"s organizations - resolved to protect nature, promote biodiversity, and also took an oath NOT to cultivate Genetically Modified (GM) crops. The elected representatives declared 1,727 villages falling under 130 Panchayats in 12 districts as GM Free villages. These villages are in the districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Kalahandi, Bargarh, Bolangir, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj in Orissa.

Seven hundred newly elected representatives of Panchayats in Orissa and the Governing Body members of Orissa Nari Samaj took an oath not to cultivate genetically modified (GM) crops. The elected representatives declared 1,727 villages in 12 districts as GM Free.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), the agency which permits field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops, will have to change its approach to making public the biosafety assessment process and results of field trials if the Central Information Commission accepts the argument of Greenpeace. A case of Greenpeace against the refusal of the Department of Biotechnology to provide data on biosafety tests of the GM rice and other crops is coming up before the Central Information Commission, the apex body for dealing with Right to Information cases, on April 5, 2007.

World’s leading seed-player ’Monsanto’ has been developing a drought resistant genetically modified cotton variety, which could possibly be released by 2015 for commercial cultivation. ”We hope to release a drought tolerant cotton seed by the middle of next decade,” Monsanto Executive vice-president, Jerry Steiner, told reporters here on Friday. ”However, after five years we would be able to say for sure, when the variety is to be released,” he added.

The science-based products and services company DuPont on Wednesday said it plans to set up a plant biotech research centre in Hyderabad. First such centre outside the US would help scientists develop hybrids of rice, pearl millet, maize, mustard and sunflower for cultivation in India. At present biotech tools would be deployed to develop non-transgenic hybrids.

Dr. James painted a rosy picture of biotechnology crop production the world over at a recent symposium billed ”Commercialization of Agro-biotechnology Products: Status, Opportunities, and Challenges” held at the Department of Agriculture in this capital city. The symposium was organized by the Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center, Indonesian Agricultural Biotechnology Program, Croplife Indonesia, and Indonesian Department of Agriculture.

It was supported by the Indonesian Biotechnology Consortium, Indonesian Biotechnology Student Forum, Indonesia-based Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Regional Center for Tropical Biology, and ISAAA.