The updated report has been tidied up. There are references and a list of those who attended the June 1, 2010, meeting, the only one held to discuss this important issue. [...] Far from having redeemed themselves, the academies appear in even poorer light because the report is rife with ”sweeping, unsubstantiated and superficial statements” according to many of the scientists that Down To Earth spoke to. Some described the new report as ”juvenile and trivial”.

Plans for India’s first genetically engineered crop for human consumption have triggered a safety report that reveals signs of food toxicity. According to this study prepared independently from industry, there are serious indications that the consumption of this genetically engineered eggplant (also called brinjal in India) can cause inflammation, reproductive disorders and liver damage.

Advocates of genetically modified crops, both in the private sector and the government research establishments, got an opportunity to press their case for lifting the moratorium on Bt brinjal and hailing GM crops as the sole hope for India, with the 98th Indian Science Congress here offering them a platform to air their views. Apart from a special lecture session by Shanthu Shanthanam, executive director of ABLEAG, New Delhi, which saw five speakers, most of them from the private sector, saying that India’s food security would be under serious threat without biotechnology, a plenary session echoed similar sentiments on Friday, the last day of the event.

Last week, the academies submitted a modified report, reviewed by Mint, to the environment ministry. Much of its content is unaltered but appended with references and scientific claims attributed to relevant sources. Like the earlier report, it says that commercial release of Bt brinjal does not pose an environmental threat. However, such crops should be constantly monitored after their release for potential long-term health impact.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat today backed politburo member S. Ramachandran Pillai on genetically modified crops, saying his remarks were in line with the party’s views. [...] Sources in the CPM, however, felt that Pillai, considered close to Karat, had indeed nuanced the party line. ”As Marxists, we cannot be opposed to science. But our opposition to GM seeds goes beyond science. It is about science being monopolised by imperialist forces. SRP seems to have overlooked this position,” a senior party leader said.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has sought to allay the apprehensions raised by the Kerala government about his decision to allow field trials of genetically modified rubber in the state. [...] the minister has argued that field trials are important for the extension of natural rubber cultivation to non-traditional areas like Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and North Konkan. Ramesh has argued that the GM approach has become necessary as the challenge of climate change has already resulted in longer dry periods for rubber cultivation.

On December 3, Union Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar told a CII meeting in Chandigarh that India’s food security depends on genetically modified food. He brushed aside opposition to GM crops as the work of those who are always opposed to new technologies. A week later, on a bright and chilly morning in Delhi, hundreds of farmers from different corners of India came to Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi to renew their pledge to fight for non-toxic food, sustainable livelihoods for farmers and India’s food sovereignty.

India, the largest natural-rubber user after China, plans to begin field trials of a genetically-modified variety as it seeks to overcome a shortage forecast by the industry to surge fivefold over the next decade. [...James Jacob, director of the Rubber Research Institute of India:] ”Domestic requirement of rubber will increase as our GDP increases, and indications are that there will not be enough.” Gene-altered rubber trees will be resistant to drought and tapping panel dryness, and have the ability to produce higher yields even under adverse weather conditions.

A Second Green Revolution focusing on the Rainfed areas is possible only through a technological breakthrough in the use of bio-technology to strengthen conventional breeding methodology by evolving plant varieties resistant to pest and diseases, tolerant to adverse weather conditions, better nutritional value and enhanced durability of product.

The Yatra, one of the biggest initiatives in the recent past to bring together people from all sections of society on the issue of sustainability in Indian farming, interacted with farmers and others in 100 districts of 20 states that it cut across in the last 70 days. [...] The Yatra was organized by ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture), a newly formed loose network of hundreds of organizations across the country.