http://www.smh.com.au/environment/alarm-in-india-on-eve-of-decision-on-gm-eggplant-20100209-npsq.html
Alarm in India on eve of decision on GM eggplant JASON BURKE February 10, 2010 Eggplant...cultivated in India for thousands of years. NEW DELHI: A fierce row over the future of the humble eggplant, a staple food for tens of millions of Indians, will reach a climax today with a government decision on the possible commercial cultivation of genetically modified strains of the plant. If permission is granted, the eggplant will become the first GM foodstuff to be grown in India. The decision will be taken by the Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, who pledged last year to end the heated argument over whether eggplants modified with a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis should be distributed to farmers. An alliance of voices ranging from environmentalists to left-wing politicians and Hindu extremists has called on Mr Ramesh to deny permission for the commercial cultivation of the Bt Brinjal strain, named after the bacterium and the local word for eggplant. ''It will open the gate,'' said Leo Saldanha, an environmental campaigner in the southern city of Bangalore. ''It raises huge legal and cultural issues.'' The decision Mr Ramesh takes would reveal how far ''India was willing to allow the farmer to be subordinated to corporate interests'', he said. Eggplant has been cultivated in India for thousands of years and is seen as an integral part of the culture and diet. Backers claim that the modified eggplants would cut crop losses due to insect damage by more than half and drastically reduce pesticide use. They also argue that extensive animal testing has shown that the introduced bacterium, though toxic to boring insects, would not be harmful to humans. Campaigners question the evidence and say that commercial interests have excessively influenced the regulatory process. They warn that the 2000 or so varieties of eggplant cultivated in India will be threatened if Bt Brinjal is introduced. ''It is a hugely important decision, not just for India, for the whole world,'' said Dr Shiva Vandana, the director of a network of groups campaigning against genetically modified foods in India. ''The question is whether or not public opinion will be listened to.'' Seeds have been developed by Indian scientists but will be marketed by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company, which is partly owned by the US multinational Monsanto, the cause of much criticism and controversy. The southern state of Kerala, which is run by an alliance of opposition left-wing parties, has already banned GM crops on the grounds that they are a threat to biodiversity. But government scientists have told ministers that Bt Brinjal poses no threat. Guardian News & Media
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