Thursday, October 15, 2009

Something Is Fishy About Bt Brinjal

The GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) has lived up to its name and approved India's first genetically-adulterated food crop. Now the question that arises is that "was this approval unanimously passed?"

I sense a "conflict of interest" in this issue. The panel of experts of GEAC who have approved
Bt Brinjal has "at least" three members who were actively involved in developing and testing of Bt Brinjal. And who owns Bt Brinjal? Monsanto-Mahyco.

Monsanto India Limited is a subsidiary of the well known multinational in agricultural science products, especially chemicals and pesticides. Monsanto’s work in India began over 50 years ago, soon after independence. Monsanto India has been providing plantation growers with good weed control solutions and new generation herbicides, especially for farmers growing wheat, rice, and soya.

In the run for "commercialization" are we heading for a devastation? Isn't there a better way out to stop the contamination of our nation's fragile food supply? Can we truly discount the possibility of a business house influencing the decisions of a government authority to suit their benefits in this case?

The World According to Monsanto, the documentary film has already nailed such lies by pointing out that India’s cotton seed market has been taken over by Monsanto to produce a virtual monopoly. There are also several anecdotes to show that farmers committed suicide in the areas where the company overran traditional agriculture.