The Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV) said it has decided to stop genetically modified (GM) crop trials for corn at its fields in Kolhapur. The trails began in December 2008 and MPKV land in Kolhapur was one of the three plots for GM corn, selected by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and sponsored by the US-based Monsanto. The other two locations are Samasvati (Bihar) and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) and field trials are continuing in these locations.

Over 150 protestors were arrested here today as they blocked the roads and rallied in front of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, demanding the university to stop genetically modified corn field trials. According to farmers, the introduction of advanced BT corn in the state would affect them in the long run. Explaining the ill effects of the BT corn, S Vellaiyan, President, Federation of Tamil Nadu Traders Association, said, ’The introduction of BT Corn will spoil the natural farming practices of the farming community in Tamil Nadu.’

Biotech company Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company Ltd plans to focus on developing abiotic-stress resistant seed varieties over the next five years. ”We are also developing technologies and seed varieties which can improve the nitrogen intake from the soil reducing nitrogen fertilizer requirements. ”Similarly, salt-tolerance technology can reduce the need for fresh water resources for irrigation. We expect high-yielding crops with a lower impact on the environment along with improved nutritional value,” Mahyco General Manager M K Sharma said.

STAGNATING yields, crop losses due to pests and diseases, climate change – all these and more are issues in agriculture that are being sought to be addressed using so-called cutting edge technology. Genetic modification (GM) of crops is one such technology on which vigorous research and development is taking place in India. So far, Bt. cotton is the only GM crop that has been permitted for cultivation in India.

Approval for Bt brinjal will come by the end of this year or early next year, said Mr R.K. Sinha, Executive Director, National Seed Association of India. Even as the debate between the two groups in favour of and against the Bt brinjal rages on, Mr Sinha reaffirmed that the Union Government was committed to the cause of genetically engineered crops and would approve Bt brinjal once it completed all the trials and felt satisfied that it would not be detrimental to the interest of the farmers.

NGO ’Gene Campaign’ through counsel Sanjay Parikh said the worst fears of catastropic effects on the traditional crops had slowly emerged in the absence of strict regulation of GM seed trials, both open field and restricted, as the regulatory body, the Genetic Engineering Advisory Committee (GEAC), had failed to come out with rules and regulations. A Bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices J M Panchal and A K Ganguly issued notice to the ministries of environment, agriculture and department of biotechnology apart from Mahyco on the application filed by the NGO accusing the MNC of conducting illegal open field trials of Bt rice.

Kerala minister for agriculture Mulakkara Ratnakaran on Monday asked K. Ramakrishnan, additional director in the agriculture department, to visit the Attapdi hills along the border with Tamil Nadu and submit a report immediately on reports of genetically modified cotton being grown there. However, it took the Left-led government nearly two years to realize that its stated policy of keeping out GM plants was being violated in the Attapadi hills along the border with Tamil Nadu.

Upset over the government’s apathy towards cotton growers after they had incurred heavy losses due to illegal cultivation of BT cotton, farmers in Orissa, under the banner of the United Coalition Against Genetic Engineering (UNCAGE) held a protest march here on Tuesday. [...] ”It is not allowed to grow BT cotton in Orissa but still BT cotton seeds were found here and farmers have been growing BT cotton illegally for the last one year. The Government turned a blind eye at this illegal cultivation as a result the farmers have incurred great losses,” said Jaganath Chatterjee, President, UNCAGE.

Monsanto India Ltd has kicked off Sustainable Yield Initiative, a project covering 10,000 farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan over a four-year period. ”It will be an intensive, handholding programme where we will benchmark and communicate the best agronomic practices in cotton and corn (maize), along with forging better market linkages by hooking the farmers directly with ginners and feed millers,” Mr Sekhar Natarajan, Chairman, Monsanto India, told Business Line here.

A new, improved, protein-rich pea is set to launch a new Green Revolution. This new variety of pigeonpea, called Pushkal, is the first commercially available hybrid legume in the world. ”With 40 percent higher yields than the best local varieties, Pushkal is truly the magic pea,” exclaims Dr William Dar, Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).