Genetically modified curse arrives

Genetically modified curse arrives

Protests against GM food erupted in the country the moment the 'high-tech' crop came into news. The then Union minister Jairam Ramesh got a taste of disapproval at public discussions he held over the issue.

Not a day passes at the Krishna temple at Udupi, 12 km from here, without the devotees being served the Sambar prepared using the iconic Matti Gulla brinjal.

Every year, lakhs of devotees from all over the country go back with the taste of the Sambar still lingering on their taste buds and the aroma in their nostrils. But things may not remain the same in the next couple of years, as farmers have begun to give up cultivating Matti Gulla in favour of hybrid varieties of brinjal. With acreage under Matti Gulla reducing, the local variety is becoming rare in markets in Udupi and Mangalore and costlier too.

It all started in 2008 when the companies started pushing genetically modified (GM) seeds in brinjal-growing areas in the state. Executives of seed companies preyed on growers at Matti, near Udupi, where the Gulla (round object, with the term denoting the globular appearance of the local brinjal) has been grown for over 400 years, on a piece of land enriched with fish meal manure. About 250 families are engaged in the cultivation of this heritage crop which secured the geographical indication (GI) tag in 2010 after a long struggle for recognition.

Matti Gulla is a hardy variety. For years, the plants needed no management including pest control, but after the GM seed invasion, Matti Gulla too became vulnerable to pests, bringing down the quality of crop and yield, indicating bio-contamination, say the office-bearers of the Matti Raitha Sangha.

”Due to contamination, the produce was getting rejected by the consumers, and the shortfall in production raised prices,” said Srinivas Bhat a grower who also sells them at an outlet in Udupi.
This village has 750 acres under Matti Gulla in a geographical area lying between Udyavar river in the east to Swarna river in the west, belonging to families that depend on growing Matti Gulla for sustenance. The Matti brinjal is an essential ingredient for a typical Udupi sambar. Gourmets from several cities including Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai can’t do without the brinjal and some of the Gulf countries import them.

”But this time I don’t think it will be possible for us to meet the demand as our crops have suffered damage. Firstly and uncharacteristically, the crops have been severely affected by two types of pests identified as leaf cutters (Green Jiggy Jocids) and white fleas, which ravage the plants just as the fruit come to harvest, says Jayendra Poojary, a grower.

Gulla is seasonal and yields two crops a year. The most important bio-info about Matti Gulla is that it grows in marshy land and local resource persons contend that the plant can absorb nitrogen directly from the air and converts it into ammonia which becomes the basic fertilizer for growing Gulla in Matti. The findings during 2006, made by Richard Bardgett and his colleagues from the University of Lancaster and British Institute Grassland and Environmental Research also supports this contention. He used most modern radio isotopic techniques that organic nitrogen can be directly taken up by plants and used differently by different species support the scientific validity of the ancient writings. Thus the practice followed by the Mattu villagers in cultivation of Mattu brinjal stands scientific scrutiny, according to an observation made by the researchers of Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies.

In the wings 
The controversial Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 22 this year amid huge protests by opposition parties. Greenpeace India remarked, “This shows that the UPA government has not only ignored the voices of people, but also the credible and exhaustive report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture which had tabled its report ‘Cultivation of Genetically Modified Food Crops – Prospects and Effects’ in the Monsoon Session last year. PSC had clearly recommended that the BRAI Bill is not the way forward for regulating GM crops in the country.”

The opposition 
The BRAI proposal has been facing strong opposition from various quarters due to its centralised, biased, unscientific and non-transparent nature in dealing with the regulation of GM crops. It also comes at a time when there is mounting scientific evidences on the adverse impact of GM crops on human health, environment and farmers livelihoods. State governments and civil society organisations are also agitated due to the absence of any decision making roles for state governments and clauses to override the Right to Information (RTI) Act in the current BRAI Bill. — Greenpeace India

The legend behind the brinjal
There is also a legend behind Matti Gulla. ”The legend says that abut 400 years ago, Vadiraja Swami of Udupi Sode mutt, one of the ashta (eight) mutts, gave a bag of seeds to the fishermen who were facing severe fish famine. He insisted that they eke their livelihood out of growing this vegetable for rest of their lives, and pass on the knowhow of growing brinjal to their following generations. Since that day, farmers have renounced fishing and have been growing Matti Gulla - which they also call Vadiraja Gulla, says Krishnaraja Pejathaya, a scholar of the Krishna math.

Matti Gulla trivia
Mattu, a coastal village in Udupi district, is located by the Arabian Sea.

The village is also known by name of Matti.

The village is famous for a particular variety of brinjal (eggplant) that is grown only here.

The brinjal grown here is light green in colour and is spherical, unlike the usual purple-coloured variety.

The first brinjal harvested is offered to Lord Krishna at Krishna Matha, Udupi.

The seeds for growing this type of brinjal is said to be given by Shri Vadiraja swamiji.

This village is also famous for a bridge named Annekatta, which connects it to Katapady town.
Source: Wikipedia

In Vietnam, genetically modified crops set to get official green light

In Vietnam, genetically modified crops set to get official green light

A woman holds a sign during one of many worldwide "March Against Monsanto" protests against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and agro-chemicals, in Los Angeles, California October 12. Vietnam is set to issue a circular on regulating GM grains used in animal feed which critics say legalizes the use of GMO. PHOTO: REUTERS

Hitherto unregulated, the use of genetically modified organisms in animal feed will soon be legalized despite warnings about the harm they cause

Genetically modified (GM) grains can only be used in animal feed if they are certified by a specialist council as posing no risk to the health of humans and livestock, a proposed circular to take effect by year end is expected to say.

They can also be used if at least five countries do so, but this is just the thin end of the wedge, critics say, in allowing farmers to grow GM food despite warnings about environmental impacts and reliance on foreign seed companies.

The government in fact plans to cover half of the country’s arable land with GM crops by 2020.

Henk Hobbelink of GRAIN, an India-based international nonprofit advocating community-controlled and biodiversity-based food system, said it is “clearly the result of the GM lobby[‘s efforts].”

“First they want countries to accept GM animal feed, and then they will push on to allow the growing of any GM food crop. They do that everywhere,” he told Vietweek.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said the new regulation is only a safety measure since Vietnam imports four million tons of soy and 1.5 tons of corn for animal feed every year from Brazil, Argentina, and the US, including genetically modified varieties.

“The [draft] regulation aims to ensure food safety when using the grains for human consumption and animal feed,” he said at a conference held in Hanoi on October 10 to discuss the circular.

Vietnam has no regulations governing GMOs though exporters in many other countries have to obtain permission to export GM crops.

The proposed legalization of GM grains in animal feed is in line with an ambitious plan to develop GM crops approved in 2006 by then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai as part of a “major program for the development and application of biotechnology in agriculture and rural development.”

The plan envisages the cultivation of some GM crops by 2015 and covering 30-50 percent of the country’s farmlands with them by 2020.

Pham Van Du, deputy director of the Cultivation Department, told the media recently that mass cultivation of GM corn will be done in 2015.

“Field trials showed that BT corn has high yield and pest resistance,” he said.

On October 1, the agriculture ministry set itself a target of meeting 30 percent of farmers’ needs for GM seeds and studying at least eight GM rice varieties by 2020. 

Ignored warnings

While the government is formalizing the right to grow GMOs, farm export industry groupings warn their members that importing countries may refuse entry to GM crops exported from Vietnam.

Vo Tong Xuan, a well-known agriculturist, who used to tout the benefits of GM maize for the animal feed industry, has now become an opponent of GMOs.

Many countries have become cautious when importing farm produce because of concerns over GM crops, Phap Luat Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Law) newspaper quoted him as saying.

“Europe, Japan, and some others have always rejected GMOs, and if Vietnamese enterprises cannot control the quality of inputs, they could accidentally export GMOs to these markets.

“Then these markets would shut the door on Vietnamese exports.”

Xuan said European countries are planning to scrutinize imports for GMOs, especially seafood. Last year the Japanese media reported that GMOs were found in rice noodles imported from a Vietnamese company.

He said the government should strictly control GMOs and require them to be labeled.

“Vietnam should pay more attention to the issue, especially following warnings from Japan and the EU,” he added.

Multinational invasion

According to Hobbelink, the government should be aware that the push for GM is based on false myths and promises.

“Accepting GM is accepting that powerful transnational companies take control of Vietnam's agriculture. Instead, the government should support Vietnam's small farmers.”

According to GRAIN, “myths and outright lies” about the alleged benefits of genetically engineered crops persist only because the multinationals that profit from them have put so much effort into spreading them around.

“They want you to believe that GMOs will feed the world, that they are more productive, that they will eliminate the use of agrichemicals, that they can coexist with other crops, and that they are perfectly safe for humans and the environment,” the organization wrote in a recent article that “debunked these myths.”

GM crops are controlled by a few companies like Monsanto, Dupont, Syngenta, BASF, Bayer, and Dow which dominate research and patents and control 60 percent of the world seed market and 76 percent of the world agrichemical market, according to GRAIN.

Monsanto and Dow are also producers of dioxin or Agent Orange, the defoliant used widely during the Vietnam War.

Many activists have said it would be ironic if Vietnam allows a “lethal” product made by the same US companies.

Between 2.1 to 4.8 million Vietnamese were directly exposed to Agent Orange and other chemicals that have been linked to cancers, birth defects, and other chronic diseases during the war that ended in 1975, according to the Vietnam Red Cross.

A researcher at an international food-sustainability NGO, who wished to remain anonymous, said hybrid and GMO seeds promoted and produced by companies like Monsanto can only be planted once, meaning farmers would have to buy them from Monsanto or the other companies each time.

“A dependency will be created for farmers on these companies. And it is most likely that the cost of the seeds will keep rising as demand for them increases.

“In the long run, the companies will be in control of Vietnam’s food security and sovereignty because Vietnam will be heavily dependent on these seeds.

“Agriculture in Vietnam seems to be highly influenced by multinational companies … Vietnam should look critically at this relationship.”

Inflammation, tumors, leukemia

Several studies released in the past few months warn about the harmful consequences of GMOs.

A group of researchers in France recently found Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready corn caused a host of negative health effects in rats, including tumors and premature death, according to a report on motherearthnews.

The study involved 200 rats and spanned two years, the normal life expectancy of the particular species of rat, and investigated how eating Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready corn and any Roundup herbicide traces that may come with it affected the rats’ health.

The researchers said they found “severe adverse health effects, including mammary tumors and kidney and liver damage, leading to premature death” caused by Roundup-Ready corn and Roundup herbicide, whether consumed separately or together.

A study by a team of Australian and US researchers released in June found pigs fed a diet of only genetically modified grain showed markedly higher stomach inflammation than pigs who dined on conventional feed.

Another study released in July underscored the potential “leukemogenic” properties of the BT-based biopesticides used in almost all GM foods that are currently grown in the US.

Corn, soy, sugarcane, and other GM crops carry what is known as Bacillus thuringiensis, also called Cry toxins, which causes several problems like blood abnormalities, hematological malignancies (blood cancer), suppression of bone marrow proliferation, and abnormal lymphocyte patterns, according to the study recently published in the Journal of Hematology & Thromboembolic Diseases.

“Many of these crops are shipped to other countries who have not yet banned GM imports, so the prevalence of their use on US soil affects the whole planet,” it said. thanhniennews