Environmentalist hails decision on BT Brinjal; slams MNCs

Noted environmental activist Vandana Shiva today hailed the Centre's moratorium on commercial cultivation of BT Brinjal and said GM crops contained harmful elements that could throw open the future generations to complex diseases.

The future generation could suffer from complex diseases due to the harmful elements present in GM crops, she said.

Lashing out at corporate and multinational giants, she said these firms were "thrusting" junk food habits on people, leading to complex diseases.

The increasing affinity towards fast food culture is part of "deliberate" efforts by MNCs in pursuit of capturing food processing sector by tending to spoil India's biodiversity, she said on the sidelines of a food festival here.

Food processing units in India should be set up in rural areas to safeguard the rich bio-diversity in the interest of disease-free society in future. The "toxic and pesticide laced" food marketed in India would would spoil health of the future generations, she said.

The influx of edible soya and palm oil have adversely hit coconut cultivators in Kerala and the "misinformation" campaign against highly nutrient coconut oil was being made under pressure from the MNCs, she said.

The five-day 'Annam' Food and Agro-biodiversity festival, organised by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action in association with various government institutions, was formally inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Agriculture K V Thomas.