Starting Tuesday, consumers will know whether the packaged foods they are buying contains any genetically modified organism, even as the food processing industry wants more clarity. A Gazette Notification issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution mandates packaged food producers to disclose GM ingredients, if used any, in their product. The notification will come into effect from January 1, 2013, officials at the Food and Consumers Affairs Ministry said.

The Indian Council of Agriculture Research has begun a formal investigation against one of its top researchers. The probe covers various allegations including false claims he made about a patent application relating to genetically modified brinjal. The scientist, Dr K.C. Bansal, claimed to have filed three patents for a novel gene discovery, including one on transgenic brinjal in 2007, based on which he was given the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award by the council for 2007-2008. Investigations revealed that while two applications had been filed, no application relating to Bt brinjal patent had been filed till July 16, 2009 when he was given the award.

An inquiry report into the contamination of an indigenously created Bt cotton variety with a Monsanto gene has bared the unethical, unscientific and irresponsible working of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in general and the integrity of scientists involved in particular. The five-member committee report on 'scientific claim with regard to the BNLA106 event for insect resistance' in the BN Bt Bikaneri Narma was made public on Friday last week. The committee headed by JNU vice-chancellor and plant biologist S K Sopory was set up to probe the presence of Monsanto gene Mon 531 in the BN Bt Bikaneri Narma cotton variety developed by ICAR instead of the expected BNLA106, an indigenous gene.

Bt insect-protection cotton seeds are widely planted around the world as an environment-friendly way of controlling bollworms, which are known to cause maximum yield loss and economic damage to the cotton crop. The BT cotton hybrid seeds approved for commercial cultivation started in 2002 in our country. Currently, above 90 per cent of the cotton is under hybrid cotton as the farmers get maximum profit than any other cotton. BT Cotton cultivation is ecological and environment-friendly and the pesticides use is very negligible. That the reason it does not affect the birds and other forms of life. It does not affect the health of human beings at all. In the field of cotton cultivation, the role of women is very important. Increased production provides them higher income.

Even as MNCs are trying to woo various state governments to allow them sell genetically modified food products and Punjab government also showing keen interest in this regard, volunteers of various organizations and public forums and members of different communities like students, lawyers, engineers and doctors came together on a common platform here on Sunday to raise their voice against GM foods. Starting their campaign by organizing a workshop at Panjab University on Sunday to highlight the ill effects of GM foods, the activists have targeted US-based food products firm Monsanto with a campaign named ”Monsanto - A threat to health, environment and human rights.”

Amidst this seemingly unending monopolistic reign of Bt cotton, nearly 130 farmers owing allegiance to the District Cotton Growers’ Mutually Aided Cooperative Society and Rythu Rakshana Vedika have proved that there are ample number of indigenous varieties which are equally high-yielding and remunerative. These farmers took up cultivation of four to five local varieties, which were products of ‘public funded research’ done by institutions like the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University and achieved satisfactory results in terms of yield and quality. [...] Though it’s an uphill task, the RRV has decided to grow indigenous varieties in about 5,000 acres next year.

We are under attack from several anti-technology activists who are using false and unfounded allegations to question our desire to have access to better technologies and seeds. They have gone so far as to request that our Supreme Court place a ten-year ban on GM crop field trials in India; a radical and ignorant proposal that could devastate Indian agriculture at a time when farmers must grow more food just to keep up with a population that recently boomed past 1.2 billion people. Thankfully, the Supreme Court rejected this outrageous idea. The worst may be yet to come, however: The Court appointed a Technical Expert Committee to assess the benefits of GM plants, but the body lacks a single member who is an expert on the science of how modern technology can improve farm productivity.

In a move that will raise hackles of anti-GM crop activists, state government has set up committee under famous nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar to advise the government on allowing field trial for a particular GM-variety developed by a company. If this committee clears the crop variety, then its trial would be allowed by the government. Besides Kakodkar, the ten-member panel comprises vice-chancellors and directors (research) of the four agriculture universities of the state and the agriculture commissioner as the member secretary. Earlier, only central government’s nod was required for field trials. However, now no objection certificate of the government of state where the trial will be conducted is required. Some states have banned such trials completely.

Even as Punjab government is showing keenness to introduce Bt maize in the state by giving go-ahead to Monsanto to set up a research and development centre for the crop, the decision has ruffled feathers of environmentalists who are grouping for an agitation against it. While farmer groups are divided on the issue of introduction of Bt maize, Kheti Virasat Mission, an environment organization that led the front for banning of Bt brinjal, is up in arms against the government and planning to hit the streets in protest. "No state in the country has given a go-ahead to Bt maize as its detrimental impact on health, if it enters food chain, is well documented. [...]" said Umendera Dutt, heading Kheti Virasat Mission.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said: “From the inception of Bt cotton, there has been a sustained objection from some of the NGOs besides civil society, technical expert committee constituted by Supreme Court, Parliamentary Standing Committee, etc,” “The objections have been very speculative and confusing, without any reasonable assessment of the technological strengths of Bt cotton. ... There is no scientific evidence to show that Bt cotton has adversely impacted the biodiversity of human/cattle health,” he said. The NGOs and panels have opposed on the grounds that biosafety assessment of Bt cotton before its introduction and post release monitoring of it were not adequate. Secondly, Bt cotton was not suitable for cultivation for rainfed areas. Lastly, cattle death and farmers’ suicides were attributed to introduction of Bt cotton in some regions, he added.