Bitter brinjal greets Jairam,again

Raising slogans of “Monsanto go back” and “Ramesh go back”,the activists tried to lay siege to the minister. Attempting to mollify them,Ramesh said,“This is a wrong way of protest.”

Subhash Sharma,an agriculture economist from Amritsar and a member of the Manch,said Bt brinjal would not bring prosperity,but push farmers further into the debt-trap.

After much effort,Ramesh was able to bring the protesters around and they apologised for creating ruckus,but stuck vehemently to their stand against the genetically-modified (GM) crop.

It seems the authorities had not expected that Punjab,which has only 3,111 hectares under brinjal,would attract so many people with a view on the GM crop. As the venue could not accommodate all of them,they gatecrashed the hall,saying they did not want Ramesh to go back without lending an ear to them.

From the discussions moderated by Ramesh,it appeared that Bt brinjal has cut both ways in Punjab,Haryana and Himachal. While some farmers wanted a nod for the crop that is reportedly pest-resistant,those against it said Monsanto was playing with nature and introduction of Bt brinjal was “against farm ethics”.

Charanjit Singh Punni,a farmer from Faridkot,said he planted Bt cotton and the yield was good in the first year,but it went down subsequently. “Pesticide cost has gone up by four times and the water demand of the plant is surprisingly very high,” he added. Tarsem Singh,a farmer from Lehra Ghaga,said the women working in the Bt cotton fields have reported skin infections.

However,Nathu Ram,a farmer from Fatehabad in Haryana,struck a divergent note. “Three years ago,when we grew other varieties of cotton,many people in my area died of pesticide spray. If we are getting a crop that requires no pesticide,then what’s the harm in it,” he questioned,much to the chagrin of the other lobby,which got agitated and asked him to sit down.

Dr GPI Singh,director-principal of Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research,Bathinda,said,“Sixty-five diseases have been identified which are linked to GM food. Other adverse affects would be visible in coming generations. The only problem with the introduction of a Bt crop is that it cannot be recalled.”

Saying that the government should not launch the crop in a jiffy,Balkar Singh of BKU (Ekta) asked Ramesh to conduct more trials as no Punjab farmer lives on brinjal production.

Giving a lowdown on bio-safety aspect of the plant,consumer rights activist Dr Neera Shiva said the government should conduct long-term studies on the effects of Bt Brinjal.

Only 90 days’ trials have been conducted,and studies conducted by Mahyco have incoherent inferences,she added.

S S Gosal,Additional Director,Research,PAU,said it was not pesticides,but their indiscriminate use that has wreaked havoc in Punjab.

Ramesh said he would take a decision on the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee’s (GEAC) recommendations by mid-February. The minister told a delegation of doctors to meet him in New Delhi on February 8 to explain ill effects of Bt Brinjal,if any.

No decision yet: Punjab
Any decision on Bt brinjal will be taken by Punjab only after its approval by the Centre,Financial Commissioner Development (FCD) N S Kang said on Friday. “If we get the Centre’s nod,we will take a decision on the issue after consultation with the Punjab Agricultural University,” he said. According to the state agriculture department,brinjal is grown on only 3,111 hectares,mainly in Amritsar and Jalandhar. “Its total production is an insignificant part of Punjab’s horticultural produce. If allowed by the Centre,companies wanting to sell Bt brinjal seeds would apply for a licence to the state agriculture department. The decision to grant the licence will depend on the state’s policy on the issue,which will be determined at the highest level of the government,” Director (Agriculture) B S Sidhu said. The state may also ask PAU to conduct statewide trials before taking a call.ENS