Govt asks Bt brinjal developers to deposit seed stock
Government today said Mahyco, the developers of Bt brinjal, has been asked to deposit the seed stock with the National Bureau of Plant Genetics Resources to prevent any potential leakage and contamination till its safety is proved.
"There is no chance of Bt brinjal making a backdoor entry through leakages of its seeds till it is cleared by an independent regulatory body," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told the Rajya Sabha.
In response to a query, he said the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has asked the Bt brinjal seed developers to deposit the seeds. He said some state governments, NGOs and sections of the scientific and farming communities have expressed apprehensions on the safety of Bt brinjal and its long-term impact on human health and environment.
They have called for extreme caution as Bt brinjal is the first genetically modified food crop to be introduced in the country, the minister added. Public consultations were also organised at seven locations -- Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Bangalore -- during the last two months to gauge public opinion on the controversial issue of introducing Bt brinjal in the country.
In the absence of scientific consensus and opposition from various quarters, the government on February 9 decided to impose a moratorium on commercialisation of Bt brinjal till such time its safety issue is addressed adequately, Ramesh said. He said there was no proposal to invoke a liability clause as provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Rules made therein provide for punitive action in case of non-compliance or violation of statutory provisions.
"As of date, there is no commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal in the world. Bt brinjal Event EE-1 has been first developed in India and is being field tested in Bangladesh and Philippines," Ramesh said. Replying to another query, he said, at a meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month it was agreed that biotechnology is an important option for higher agricultural productivity and ensuring food security.
"At the same time, it must be ensured that it has no adverse effects on human and animal health, and bio-diversity. "It was also agreed that the GEAC will address the concerns for resolving all scientific issues relating to Bt brinjal," Ramesh added.
