Panel ban on GM crop trials upsets farmers

The recommendation of an indefinite moratorium on field tirals of genetically-modified (GM) crops by the technical expert panel appointed by the Supereme Court has come as a big blow to farmers in Punjab and Haryana.

The introduction of BT cotton helped the farmers to earn a decent living.

According to Pavitar Pal Singh Pangli, president of Punjab Agriculture University Kisan Club, the panel did not have any representative from the farming community and ICAR (Indian Council of Agriculture Research).

A country of 1.2 billion needs GM seeds to remain self-sufficient. The chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj, Ajay Jhakar, said, "A ban on research means we are going back to the dark ages. The commercial application of the GM seeds can be put under screening if there are environment and health isuues, but an end to research is not justifiable."

Jagtar Singh Mehma, a farmer from Bhatinda, said the farmers there benefited a lot after the introduction of BT cotton. He added the developed countries do a lot of research in bio-technology and have crops with high nutrition and better yield. So, a ban on research would not be conducive to Indian agriculture.

The panel has recommended a complete ban on herbicide-tolerant crops. Most of the new GM crop applications received by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee are of herbicide-tolerant varieties.

This would affect the research on brinjal, tomato, maize, mustard and bhindi.

The farmers' organisations in the north are mobilising their counterparts across India and are likely to give a representation to the agriculture ministry in a few days.