Defiant farmers plant illegal GM cotton

Last week, farmers in Maharashtra planted unapproved genetically modified (GM) seeds as part of a ‘civil disobedience’ movement to protest against the central government’s indecisiveness in approving the next generation of GM cotton.

The open defiance of law was organised by Shetkari Sanghatana (SS), a farmers’ organisation that has been an advocate of open market in the field of agriculture.

After sowing herbicide-tolerant Bt cotton (HTBT) seeds in Akola district last week, the Sanghatana is encouraging farmers in other districts to sow banned seeds. Farmer leader Lalit Patil-Bahale sowed seeds of the illegal HTBT and Bt Brinjal in his field in Akoli Jahangir in Akola.

Sanghatana president Anil Ghanwat said many farmers were ready to sow HTBT cotton openly, but the government has kept a vigil on the state borders, which has affected the inflow of HTBT seeds. More and more farmers will sow HTBT this season once the monsoon showers arrive, Ghanwat added.

Who is leading the protest?

* The event was organised by Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers’ union once led by the late Sharad Joshi.

* About two decades ago, Joshi had managed a campaign for the introduction of genetically modified food crops.

* The campaign played a major role in the approval for Bt cotton, a transgenic variety of cotton.

* Farmers in Akola planted a herbicide tolerant Bt cotton (HTBT). This variety involves the addition of another gene, Cp4-Epsps, from another soil bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

* It is not cleared by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). The farmers claim that the HTBT variety can withstand the spray of glyphosate, a herbicide that is used to remove weeds.

Background

* In India, cotton has served as an important fibre and textile raw material and plays a vital role in its industrial and agricultural economy.

* Nearly 8 million farmers, most of them small and medium (having less than 15 acres of farm size and an average of 3-4 acres of cotton holdings) depend on this crop for their livelihood.

* Bt cotton remains the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in the country.

* In 2002, Monsanto-Mahyco introduced Bollgard-I, India’s first GM cotton hybrid containing Cry1Ac-producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes for controlling the pink bollworm (P. gossypiella) pest.

* Initially, only 36 per cent of the farmers adopted the new crop. However this number soon grew to 46 per cent in 2004-17 after Bt cotton was approved nationwide.

* This was followed by approval and launch of Bollgard-II (a two-toxin Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab-producing Bt-pyramid conferring resistance to bollworm) by Monsanto-Mahyco, which subsequently enhanced Bt cotton adoption among Indian cotton growers.

* Despite controversies, Bt cotton’s implementation has largely benefited Indian farmers and agricultural economy. Bt cotton has increased profits and yield by Rs 1,877 per acre and 126 kg/acre of farmland respectively, 50 per cent and 24 per cent more than profit and yield by conventional cotton.

What are GM organisms and GM foods?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”.

It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species. Foods produced from or using GMOs are often referred to as GM foods.

GM crops can mitigate several current challenges in commercial agriculture. Current market trends project them as one of the fastest growing and innovative global industries, which not only benefit growers but also consumers and major country economies. However, it is imperative that the agricultural industry and science community invest in better science communication and regulation to tackle unethical research and misinformation.

Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India

On 23 January 2003, India ratified the Cartagena Protocol, which protects biodiversity from potential risks of genetically modified organisms, the products of modern biotechnology.

The protocol requires setting up of a regulatory body. The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) is a proposed regulatory body in India for use of biotechnology products, including GMOs.

Currently, the Genetic Engineering Approvals Committee (GEAC), a body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, is responsible for the approval of genetically engineered products in India.

The functions of the GEAC as prescribed in the Rules 1989 are as follows…

* To appraise activities involving large-scale use of hazardous micro-organisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environmental angle.

* To appraise proposals relating to the release of genetically engineered organisms and products into the environment, including experimental field trials.

* The committee or any persons authorised by it has powers to take punitive action under the Environment Protection Act.