The development of Bt Brinjal was a case of biopiracy, according to the National Biodiversity Authority. According to sources, the NBA has finally concluded its year-long investigation and recommended action against the U.S. agribusiness giant, Monsanto, and its Indian collaborators, who developed and promoted the controversial, genetically modified vegetable. A decision to “take the case to its logical conclusion” was taken in an NBA meeting on June 20, according to official sources, who say, this means Monsanto and co could face criminal proceedings. When the NBA met on Tuesday, it discussed the “comprehensive evidence” and “supporting proof” gathered against Bt Brinjal’s promoters, say sources. “The NBA is now continuously moving forward in that direction,” said a senior official who refused to speculate on how long the process will take.

DIFFERENT STATE governments are falling over each other in their haste to get into large-scale public private partnerships to promote hybrid maize in the name of food security. [...] Only 25 percent of maize is consumed as food; the rest goes into poultry feed, animal feed, industrial use, etc. However, maize continues to be classified as a food crop in official statistics — it helps the non-performing agriculture ministry to claim some growth. For seed and agri-chemical companies too, hybrid maize is a major market driver. When the shift to hybrid seed happens in this crop, the demand for pesticides and fertilisers goes up. What’s more, companies like Monsanto are waiting in the wings to bring in herbicide-tolerant genetically modified maize, which would ensure two markets for them — that of herbicides and also of this seed.

More than a year after former environment minister Jairam Ramesh put an indefinite moratorium on commercial introduction of Bt brinjal in the country, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee has asked for additional tests on the ayurvedic qualities of the genetically modified brinjal. GEAC has asked Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co (Mahyco) to conduct the tests which would be assessed by the National Institute of Nutrition.

Respite is likely to come to those looking to initiate trials in genetically-modified crops as an important clause requiring state approval for conducting GM trials is likely to be revoked. This was confirmed by a source from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee [...] Groups like ABLE-AG (Association of Biotech Led Enterprises-Agriculture Group) have been opposing this clause in the upcoming GEAC guidelines, which makes it mandatory to seek prior permission from the states for trial of GM crops.

“The main worry is the stagnation in productivity at an average of 500 kg lint per hectare for the past five years. The gains have been unaffected by the sharp increase in area of Bt cotton, from 5.6 per cent in 2004 to 90 per cent in 2010,” [chief of the Central Institute for Cotton Research, Keshav Kranthi] warns. The yield was 463 kg per ha when the Bt cotton area was 5.6 per cent in 2004 and reached a mere 506 kg per ha when the area under Bt cotton increased to 9.4 million ha [...] More worrying, says Kranthi, is the increasing problems of sap-sucking insects, such as leaf hoppers, aphids, whiteflies and thrips, on the vast majority of susceptible Bt hybrids. [...] Insect populations of mealybugs, gall midges, mosquito bugs and safflower caterpillars, hitherto unknown are new concerns.

The genetically modified vegetable BT brinjal may be still mired in controversy but that has not deterred its maker Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co (Mahyco) from going ahead with BT okra (ladies finger) and rice. According to Usha Barwale Zehr, joint director of research at Mahyco, the company is currently conducting bio-safety tests for BT okra and rice, and once they are done, permission will be sought for field trials.

Since the introduction of genetically modified cotton crop, which accounts more than 90% in the total area under cotton in the country, there has been a fear of genetic erosion and loss of biodiversity, a group of reputed cotton breeders have expressed. [...] ”Research on cotton gene has gone backward by more than 10 years as scientists have simply stopped working on the genetic mechanism of controlling bolwarm pests,” SS Patil, senior Cotton Breeder, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad (Karnataka) told FE. He said due to overdependence on GM crop farmers have lost their traditional knowledge on seed production.

Karnataka government has strongly ruled out the possibility of permission to carry out clinical trials on genetically-modified crops. ”Action would be taken against those who are engaged in the conduct of trials on GM crops in Bijapur and other districts without the permission of the government,” state agriculture minister Umesh Katti, stated on the sidelines of a meet for bankers and officials of the agriculture department, FnB News learnt on Thursday. He was firm that the department had not given permission to undertake trials to any multinational or local companies.

When news of arrival Monsanto senior official from Mumbai are in near village munjala cotton farmers of village karanji 140 K.m. from Nagpur has taken him to their field where complete failure of ‘Paras Sudarshan’ BT. cotton seed was shown to him when he failed to admit the lapse he was severely beaten up even local agriculture officer has not came to his rescue as per reports published in regional news papers. daily all regional papers in vidarbha and marathwada region of Maharashtra where more than 4 million hector are in under bt. cotton cultivation are reporting the flood of bogus seed supplied local agents of American cotton seed MNC giant

India’s bio-tech regulator has begun overhauling the way genetically modified crops are introduced, bringing in rules for the first time that require conflict-of-interest scenarios to be avoided and states’ consent to be obtained. [...] Experts, however, argue that nearly all geneticists and transgenic experts are also the ones invariably involved in developing some GM plant or the other. “[...] You cannot have people not related to the subject as regulators,” said Deepak Pental, University of Delhi’s professor of genetics, who is developing genetically modified mustard.