BKS opposes roll out of GM mustard, wants probe against GEAC

An RSS-affiliated farmers' body today demanded a ban on commercial roll out of GM mustard and an internal probe into the functioning of country's bio-tech regulator GEAC that falls under the Environment Ministry.
Accusing the GEAC of being "in a hurry" to grant permission for commercial cultivation of GM mustard, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh questioned the GM technology which depends on chemical spraying, saying "who are they (GM propagators) making a fool of".
"Bharatiya Kisan Sangh appeals for a complete ban on the introduction of GM Mustard with immediate effect and to hold a transparent internal inquiry about the sole existence of function of GEAC and its mandatory relevance with the safety assessment of any introduction," it said in a statement.

"GEAC is in a hurry to give permission to GM Mustard for commercial cultivation. This GM Mustard testing application was rejected by the same GEAC in 2002. What again happened and now again the GEAC is in hurry to give permission and under whose pressure?," the Kisan Sangh asked.
Anti-GM activists have been opposing the approval of GM Mustard for commercial release and have upped the ante against the "unscientific" appraisal process.
GEAC had constituted a sub-committee to review the technical details and dossier related to environmental release of Genetically Engineered (GE) Mustard (Brassica juncea) hybrid DMH-11 and use of parental events (varuna bn 3.6 and EH2 mod bs 2.99) for development of new generation hybrids. submitted by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP), University of Delhi, South Campus (UDSC), which had submitted its report.

The report was uploaded on the Ministry's website inviting comments from various stakeholders till October 5.

The Ministry after evaluating all the comments, had forwarded it to a sub-committee which after studying it will submit its final report to the biotech regulator-- Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).
"If the entire GM technology is against chemical farming, then what is this HT GM technology which entirely depends on huge chemical spraying that is mandatory with the technology. Who knows what this chemical will create - cancer, male sterility, infertility - what?
"GM propagators have announced that this technology will reduce chemical spraying. This GM mustard will mandatorily use heavy amount of spraying. Who they are making fools?," the statement said.

It said there is no need for GM crop as there are plenty of mustard varieties which are performing much better than the one claimed by GM Mustard.
"The GEAC is also under scanner that why it did not allow our designated seed testing laboratories to test the BT cotton seeds. Suspiciously acting in favor of some spurious MNCs for unknown reasons.
"It becomes a priority to examine the role of GEAC in relation to allowing GM crop against the moratorium of the government and against the technical committee of Supreme Court and against the large number of doubts about its origin and genesis," the statement said.