Terming Jairam Ramesh’s step as a correct one, agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan said: ”This is a breathing spell to clear the apprehensions of public, states and scientists and develop a regulatory mechanism to inspire public confidence and remove fears about Bt brinjal.” He added that the ministry has not pushed it under the carpet. ”This breathing spell should be used to carefully look at the situation for everyone’s concern,” he said.

Swaminathan had advised Ramesh to assess the chronic effects of the consumption of the brinjal through studies at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, and the Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore. His views appear to reflect concerns expressed by environmental groups and other scientists that the safety tests conducted on animals were entirely sponsored by the developers of the brinjal and not performed by independent laboratories.

Stressing that India needed to look at its seed industry, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today said he believed in the fundamental primacy of the public sector seed industry. ”The first Indian public sector Bt cotton is in the market and we can’t depend on private sector biotechnology in agriculture, which is different from that in health. Biotechnology in agriculture must remain overwhelmingly with the public sector,” he said.

Q: Does your report set the standards required for clearance of all future GM food crops even though this is for a specific case?

A: Absolutely, for food crops. [...] We should have a different set of standards for food crops. I am persuaded by the argument that many doctors, including the DG of ICMR, feel standards should be stricter than for drugs because food is something you consume every day, not just when you are sick.

The main issue that seemed to have worked against granting clearance to Mahyco’s Bt brinjal was the tests undertaken for establishing its safety, both from the human consumption as well as the environment angle. In this case, the data as well as the tests were carried out by the developer itself and not in any independent laboratory. ”This does raise legitimate doubts on the reliability of the tests, doubts that I cannot ignore,” said the Union Minister for Environment Minister and Forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh

Placing an indefinite moratorium on the commercial release of Bt Brinjal, which would otherwise have been the first genetically modified food crop in India, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Tuesday said he took the ”precautionary approach” as there was no clear consensus on the subject among Indian scientists. ”Impose a moratorium on the release of Bt Brinjal till such time that independent scientific studies establish satisfaction of both public and professionals, the safety of the product from the point of view of long-term impact on human health and environment,” Ramesh said at a press conference here.

India will decide tomorrow whether to approve its first genetically modified (GM) food crop. It is a move that supporters argue will help to avert a global food crisis but which critics say is being rushed through recklessly. The new vegetable, an aubergine — or brinjal in Hindi — contains a toxic gene that poisons insect pests and will boost yields while reducing dependence on pesticides, its champions say. It would also open up the world’s second most-populous nation to at least 56 other GM crops that are in the final stages of development.

Jagadisan, who worked with Monsanto for nearly two decades, including eight years as the managing director of India operations, spoke against the new variety during the public consultation held in Bangalore on Saturday. On Monday, he elaborated by saying the company ”used to fake scientific data” submitted to government regulatory agencies to get commercial approvals for its products in India.

The Government’s decision whether to allow or not allow commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal holds the key for further trials in genetically modified (GM) rice. ”Bt brinjal is the first product that has come up for approval. The Government’s decision will pave the way for other GM crops,” said a research scientist. ”At least, 25 separate trials are being held in GM rice. In some cases, the first bio-safety research trials have been completed. Six private firms and some 15 universities are carrying out research on genetically modified rice,” said an official of Greenpeace India.

US diplomat Nina Fedoroff, science and technology adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, arrived in the national capital late Monday. She is here on an official visit. Fedoroff made it to New Delhi just in time for the much-awaited decision on the commercial release of Bt Brinjal, expected Tuesday evening. In the past, she has often urged Indian industry to boost research and development for transgenic crops like Bt Brinjal.