Posts Tagged bacillus thurengiensis
Bt Brinjal and the Great GMO Debate
India’s considering legalizing genetically modified brinjal – the vegetable otherwise known as eggplant or aubergine. (Or baingan or kathirikai.) It’s a popular vegetable in Indian cuisine.
In October 2009, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) recommended approval for transgenic eggplants that would resist the shoot borer, a major pest. (It doesn’t protect against bacterial wilt, a different major pest.) The main US player, naturally, is Monsanto, through the Indian company Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co (Mahyco).
[Edited to Add: On Feb 10, 2010, the government put Bt Brinjal on indefinite hold. There were some reports of planned 180-day rat studies instead of the usual 90-day ones.]
There’s been a storm of protest. Activists, farmers, and political leaders are upset. Some have actually called it poison.
Minister for the Environment Jairam Ramesh has asked for further investigation and public input, while Minister for Food and Agriculture Sharad Pawar is pushing for its introduction.
Meanwhile, the Chief Ministers of the three largest eggplant-producing states have said they do not intend to grow Bt Brinjal. (West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar together account for over 60% of India’s eggplant production.)
Why the controversy?
3 comments January 25, 2010
