Stop commercialisation of GM Mustard says farmer unions, Scientists & civil society
Author(s): City Air NewsUmendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission addressing the media persons in Chandigarh. Chandigarh, November 18, 2015: “GM Mustard is an assault on our food, farm, environment and culture and we will not let it happen”...
cityairnews
Nov 18, 2015 10:30
0
Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission addressing the media persons in Chandigarh.
Chandigarh, November 18, 2015: “GM Mustard is an assault on our food, farm, environment and culture and we will not let it happen” declared farmer unions, scientists and civil society organizations in Punjab/Haryana. This was at a joint press conference in the city today. Representatives of the Sarson Satyagraha, a broad alliance spearheading this resistance across the country, demanded the central government to stop any approval processes related to GM Mustard commercialisation. This is in response to media stories confirming the imminent approval of GM Mustard by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the nodal agency for any open release of GM crops in the country. GEAC sits under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. If approved, this GM mustard would become the first GM food crop to be released for commercial cultivation in India.
The farmer and civil society representatives at the press conference held today also urged the state governments of Punjab and Haryana to intervene in the matter, and write to the Government of India strongly recommending against any open release and commercialisation of GM crops in general and this GM mustard in particular.
Speaking to media representatives, Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission stated that “Punjab and Haryana together account for more than 8% of the total mustard production in the country and given the significance of this crop to our farmers livelihood as well as food basket this risky GM Mustard proposed to be commercialized is a grave danger to our livelihood security and food safety and security. Pointing to the fact that Punjab was the only state that permitted the open field trials of this crop with even neighbouring states like Rajasthan and Haryana denying permissions for this, he urged the state government to undo the wrong and declare that Punjab will not permit commercial cultivation of GM Mustard and become the breeding ground and point of contamination for all the mustard in our country”
Highlighting the unsafe nature of GM crops in general and this GM Mustard in particular Dr Amar Singh Azad of Centre for Environmental Health Action said “there is a growing body of scientific evidence on the adverse impacts of GM crops to human health and environment and any effort to release such crops in to the environment would be against science and society”.
There has been widespread opposition from the farming community across the country against GM Mustard. Pishora Singh Sidhupur of Bhartiya Kisan Union – Sidhupur said that GM Mustard like other GM crops is nothing but a charade. Contesting the yield gains projected by the GM mustard developers Sukhdev Singh Bhopal of Kheti Baari Kisan Vikas Front opined that “productivity is not an issue at all, if farmer-friendly policies are put into place by the government, including the right price signals and actual procurement. This GM mustard is unneeded and will impact farmer livelihoods adversely”.
GM Mustard has seen opposition from the state Governments. While the agriculture minister of Rajasthan, the largest producer of mustard in India, has stated that the state will not let GM mustard to be cultivated, other big producers like Madhya Pradesh and Haryana had denied permission to do field trials of this GM mustard earlier. Incidentally all these three states also have a BJP government in power.
“The baseless and forcible push for GM crops at a time when state governments are opposing it, is a threat to the federal polity of our country. It is ridiculous at a time more and more states are talking about organic farming as the way forward and making policies towards it” said Kapil Shah, National Secretary of Organic Farmers’ Association of India (OFAI).
“With more than14000 varieties, India is a Centre of Diversity of Mustard and it is a globally accepted norm that genetic modification of crops in their centre of origin or diversity is not advisable given the threat transgenic technology poses to biodiversity” said Abhishek Joshi of Sarson Satyaghraha .
Dr Rajinder Chowdery from Kudrati Kheti Abhiyan, Haryana stressed that “The Technical Expert Committee set up the by the Hon’ble Supreme Court also in its majority report had strongly recommended against genetic modification of such crops for which India is a centre of origin/diversity”. Farmers will not accept GM Mustard and we will oppose any move for its commercial release said Lal Chand Arya , BJP Kisan Morcha leader from Mewat, Haryana.
Addressing the media Kavitha Kuruganti CO-Convenor, Coalition for a GM Free India pointed to the nontransparent and biased way in which GEAC, the regulator is dealing with GM Mutard “It is outrageous that GM food crops are being pushed without adequate safety assessment and transparency,” said Kavitha Kuruganti.“The entire biosafety assessment of this GM mustard is shrouded in secrecy. Repeated efforts including RTI applications seeking the biosafety dossier of GM mustard have been stonewalled, with the regulators declining to share information. This is against the Hon'ble Supreme court's direction on the matter of information to be shared with general public on GM crops,” she added.
The groups are submitting their memorandums demanding the intervention by the state Governments of Punjab and Haryana to the respective Chief Ministers / Agriculture Ministers.
Date:
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
