Genetically engineered crops are not new anymore in India. Even the first protest of farmers for these crops in India started with the burning of Monsanto’s Bt cotton fields by Karnataka Rajya Raithu Sangha is more than nine years old now. Today, there is more than just Bt cotton to worry about. According to our study, there are more than 70 types of genetically modified organisms that are being researched by public, private and international organizations in India. More than 23 crops, including cereals like rice, wheat, corn and sorghum and vegetables like brinjal, tomato, potato, cauliflower, cabbage, ladies finger are in the advanced stages undergoing field trials. Though there are more than 19 public sector institutes, and 4 major international organizations and foundations, most of the products belong to just 3 private multinational companies. The first seeds that the helpless farmer might grow and the unaware consumer might taste would be the products of these companies. In spite of all these, the danger for us does not come from the crops that are poised to be grown in a few years, but from the inefficiency of the regulation and the apathy of the officials who permit the research, safety tests, field trials and eventual sale of these crops.
Just like any hybrid seed is certified after a trial for a few seasons in the field, genetically engineered crops and their seeds also have to be grown on a farmer’s field before it is given permission. But there is one big difference. Since GE crops are done by altering the genetic structure of the plant by inserting or deleting genes from the genetic structure, it needs to be checked for the risks that it could pose- starting from allergy to any immune system disorders and inflammation of internal organs to say a few. But three important steps have been by passed in this system in the last ten years. One: The safety tests are done after the trials happen on the farmers fields. Two: The tests are conducted by the company in its own labs and results are kept secret, out for public scrutiny. Three: The farmers who are trialling these crops are not even told, leave alone educated that they are growing a hitherto untested, unapproved genetically engineered crop.
The second biggest risk about genetically engineered crops is that it is impossible to find them out once they have got mixed up with normal crops. As it is impossible to see and tell a GE brinjal from a normal one, GE crops, like any seeds or fruits or grain, can be mistakenly be mixed up by birds, bees and rodents or by humans when the grains or seed are being transported. The only way to find out whether our brinjal is GE or not is to test it- these cost Rs.10,000 even in Indian labs. The presence of GE vegetable field trials in the state is also a matter of concern to us being one of the leading producers of horticultural crops in the country.
All this means, that once GE crops are grown in open fields, even for testing, there is every chance for it to get mixed up with other crops in the nearby fields and it is prohibitingly expensive to track them in the market. Thus, the consumers will be eating GE food, which is not yet tested to be safe, without even knowing that they are eating them. That is violation of a basic right of us consumers – to keep us in dark about what we are eating.
If there is way out of this problem, it is to prevent them from growing in the fields and to test them before we grow them in fields, announce the results for public scrutiny, certify the safety and fix responsibility on the company for any ill effects. But this is not welcomed by the industry because of the fear that they may not pass the public safety testing of their product. In fact, the government is still refusing to provide this information even after the central information commission has ordered it to be given in compliance with the Right to information act.
This problem has got more complicated, with the recent tangle that has been created between the food and safety standards act 2006 and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, on GE processed foods, there is now NO authority to certify the safety of imported processed foods in our market. Since there is no labeling in the US, the imported products could as well be containing GE ingredients.
In this point, at this rate of new genetically engineered crops being introduced into the fields, there is no way the consumer to avoid the GE brinjal or the GE rice or the GE potato in the chips or the GE tomato in the sauce he/ she buys in from the market except one way - to demand the company or the supermarket whether they are GE free or not. As more and more consumers assert their right, like the farmers had started nine years back and continue to do so, we can hope to have GE free food and continue to celebrate with the same spirit of declaration of the world food day, as today, forever.
Just like any hybrid seed is certified after a trial for a few seasons in the field, genetically engineered crops and their seeds also have to be grown on a farmer’s field before it is given permission. But there is one big difference. Since GE crops are done by altering the genetic structure of the plant by inserting or deleting genes from the genetic structure, it needs to be checked for the risks that it could pose- starting from allergy to any immune system disorders and inflammation of internal organs to say a few. But three important steps have been by passed in this system in the last ten years. One: The safety tests are done after the trials happen on the farmers fields. Two: The tests are conducted by the company in its own labs and results are kept secret, out for public scrutiny. Three: The farmers who are trialling these crops are not even told, leave alone educated that they are growing a hitherto untested, unapproved genetically engineered crop.
The second biggest risk about genetically engineered crops is that it is impossible to find them out once they have got mixed up with normal crops. As it is impossible to see and tell a GE brinjal from a normal one, GE crops, like any seeds or fruits or grain, can be mistakenly be mixed up by birds, bees and rodents or by humans when the grains or seed are being transported. The only way to find out whether our brinjal is GE or not is to test it- these cost Rs.10,000 even in Indian labs. The presence of GE vegetable field trials in the state is also a matter of concern to us being one of the leading producers of horticultural crops in the country.
All this means, that once GE crops are grown in open fields, even for testing, there is every chance for it to get mixed up with other crops in the nearby fields and it is prohibitingly expensive to track them in the market. Thus, the consumers will be eating GE food, which is not yet tested to be safe, without even knowing that they are eating them. That is violation of a basic right of us consumers – to keep us in dark about what we are eating.
If there is way out of this problem, it is to prevent them from growing in the fields and to test them before we grow them in fields, announce the results for public scrutiny, certify the safety and fix responsibility on the company for any ill effects. But this is not welcomed by the industry because of the fear that they may not pass the public safety testing of their product. In fact, the government is still refusing to provide this information even after the central information commission has ordered it to be given in compliance with the Right to information act.
This problem has got more complicated, with the recent tangle that has been created between the food and safety standards act 2006 and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, on GE processed foods, there is now NO authority to certify the safety of imported processed foods in our market. Since there is no labeling in the US, the imported products could as well be containing GE ingredients.
In this point, at this rate of new genetically engineered crops being introduced into the fields, there is no way the consumer to avoid the GE brinjal or the GE rice or the GE potato in the chips or the GE tomato in the sauce he/ she buys in from the market except one way - to demand the company or the supermarket whether they are GE free or not. As more and more consumers assert their right, like the farmers had started nine years back and continue to do so, we can hope to have GE free food and continue to celebrate with the same spirit of declaration of the world food day, as today, forever.
A Kannada version of this article appeared in Prajavani on 16th October 2007, world food day.
to view font- go to view>encoding>more>user defined . Click and wait for page to reload.
No comments:
Post a Comment