Bangladesh Government to introduce genetically modified cotton

Government to introduce genetically modified cotton 



The government has made a move to introduce genetically modified (GM) cotton varieties at farmers’ level in the country, following the release of four brinjal varieties for demonstration last month. However, the GM variety named Bt cotton would not be prepared in the country. The seeds will be directly imported from Indian seed producer Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) or other companies from China. “We have already talked to Mahyco and they agreed to provide us an ample supply as per our requirements,” said Md Abdul Latif, executive director of Cotton Development Board (CDB), adding that China was yet to show interest on the CDB’s proposal. The CDB has already decided to import the Bt variety and has sent an application to the agriculture ministry so that they could forward the application to the environment ministry, who will give the final approval to demonstrate any GM crop variety on farmers level, Latif added. He also said authorities were hoping to run a “confined trial” of Bt variety from next season during June-July of 2014. Muhammad Solaiman Haider, member secretary of the National Committee on Bio-safety under the environment ministry, told the Dhaka Tribune, they would look into the matter after getting the application from the agriculture ministry. Genetically modified crops like cotton, golden rice, Bt brinjals and potatoes are “transgenic” crops, and need special approval from bio-safety authorities for field trials. Bt cotton is a variety developed through genetic engineering by inserting crystal protein genes taken from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, popularly known as Bt which is copyrighted by American seed giants Monsanto. The CDB demands that the Bt variety will increase the yield of cotton, as it is highly capable of preventing “American Bollworm,” one of the biggest threats to cotton. However, seeking anonymity, an official told the Dhaka Tribune that introducing Bt cotton in Bangladesh would not bring any good result as the American Bollworm’s tendency to attack cotton had been reduced remarkably in recent years. According to Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), the country requires 3.5m to 4m bales of raw cotton to run approximately 363 textile mills for meeting the spinning demands of the country’s garment sector. Against the demand, the country only produces around 150,000 bales by using around 40,000 hectares of arable land, said sources at the CDB. Only around 2% to 3% of the national requirement was fulfilled through local production, while the rest was fulfilled by importing raw cotton from Uzbekistan, India, USA, Australia, Pakistan and different African countries. Earlier on October 30, the government released four GM brinjal varieties at farmers’ level to demonstrate on a limited scale, amid concerns by environment activists that the health impact of Bt brinjal was yet to be scrutinised. The government had also recently approved the decision of holding “confined trials” for two other GM crop varieties – golden rice and potato – which are being developed by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) respectively. dhakatribune

China rejects another shipment of GMO ‘contaminated’ crops

China rejects another shipment of GMO ‘contaminated’ crops

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) released a report on November 19, 2013 by Reuters that China has rejected a load of corn because it is contaminated with an unapproved GMO corn strain. The GMO product is labeled as Syngenta AG's AgrisureViptera corn, which is also known as MIR 162.

This follows a rejection by China of a load of alfalfa that was also GMO contaminated in Sept. 2013. Farmers in the state of Washington requested that the USDA require compensation for the Monsanto Roundup Ready cross-contamination that resulted in the rejection by China. The USDA ruled that this was a marketing issue, and not something to be addressed by the USDA.

In 2002, Zimbabwe rejected 10,000 tons of US seed corn because it was whole kernel GMO seeds that could have germinated and contaminated the indigenous corn crops across Zimbabwe. After the devastating earthquakes in Haiti, farmers there burned relief supplies of corn provided by Monsanto because the corn was a GMO strain. In both cases, starving people rejected GMO seeds.

In Sept. 2013, the Russian minister of agriculture ordered several branches of Russian government to write position papers that will consider banning the import of all GMO foods. Particular strains of Monsanto GMO corn have previously been banned for importation.

While the influence of Monsanto is extremely effective in Congress and the Supreme Court, there are many wealthy farmers in the West and Midwest that are seeing their export business dwindle because of GMO crop contamination. In this case, the reduced revenue for exports by US farmers may talk louder than the lobbyists for Monsanto, Dow, BASF and DuPont.

A Voice of American report written by Ana Hontz-Ward on Oct. 24, 2013 has the headline In Europe, Debate Intensifies Over GMO Food Imports from US.

Thomas Schmidt, a food and agriculture expert at the German Embassy in Washington, DC, had this to say about the impact of GMO food imports as part of an overall free-trade agreement between the European Union and the US that is currently being negotiated.

“For the Europe side, this is a pretty sensitive issue because there are so many people in our countries who have an adverse opinion about genetically engineered crops and that of course is a political factor in this debate, no doubt about it.”

Opposition to GMO foods has been so strident in Germany that BASF moved its GMO research operation from Germany to the US. A study conducted in Germany found 75% of Germans opposed to GMO foods. There is a willingness to pay a premium for non-GMO foods in Germany and throughout the European Union.

The inaction of the USDA in the Washington GMO contamination of alfalfa indicates the cooperation that the USDA has consistently provided to the major agricultural, pesticide and insecticide companies.

The lack of response to the continued pressure from China, Russia and the EU to reject US crops that are GMO contaminated is a head in the sand approach by the USDA. The refusal to hold agribusiness companies accountable for contaminating crops with GMO seeds reflects the influence of these companies in Congress, the Executive branch, and the Supreme Court.

Contact Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Rob Portman, Congressman Pat Tiberi and Congressman Steve Stivers and let them know that you want them to write legislation to hold companies like Monsanto, Dow, DuPont and BASF liable when their GMO crops contaminate adjacent non-GMO crops. Ask them to write legislation to carry out long-term studies on the effects of GMO crops on animals and humans, and on the impact of pesticides and insecticides on water, land and the air we breathe. Examiner

Scientists write to PM on genetically modified organisms

IANS A letter endorsed by 250 scientists from across the country addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was released Thursday, in which they have urged that steps be taken to stop open air release of Genetically Modified Organisms. The letter comes as the Supreme Court is scheduled to have a hearing Nov 26, to take a view on the recommendations of a court-appointed Technical Expert Committee (TEC) set up in a Public Interest Litigation related to the environmental release of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in India. The report released by the TEC, which comprises scientists from various science disciplines, have recommended that any open release of GM crops, including field trials, should be stopped until regulatory reform and the gaps in the regulatory system are addressed. The letter written to the prime minister has been initiated by five scientists, and endorsed by more than 250 scientists, 11 former and present vice chancellors of different universities, and three Padma awardee scientists. "There is an undue haste in getting GMOs released into the environment. While there is a growing body of scientific evidence on the adverse impacts of GM crops to human health and biodiversity, there is hardly any effort from the Indian government or public sector research institutions to take up rigorous, independent safety assessment," said Tushar Chakraborty, head of the Gene Control Laboratory, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology and one of the initiators of the letter. Along with the release of the letter, the second edition of the compilation of scientific references and abstracts of more than 400 peer-reviewed papers on various adverse impacts of GM crops/foods was also released by Kavitha Kuruganti of Coalition for a GM-Free India. "There is no dearth of scientific evidence on the adverse impacts of GMOs in our food, farming and environment. What is needed are the eyes to see it, the wisdom to understand it. GM crops are one of the biggest scientific frauds that biotechnology seed industry, ably supported by some of our unscrupulous policy makers and public sector scientists, are pulling off on our country," said Kavitha Kuruganti. There has also been a research study from the Indian Institute of Toxicology, Lucknow, which confirmed the carcinogenic potential of roundup herbicide on human cells, even if present in low concentration. The study has been released at a time when there are efforts from the biotech industry to release herbicide tolerant (HT) GM crops that could substantially increase the usage of herbicides.

Ukraine considers approving GM crops

Ukraine considers approving GM crops

A new government proposal in Ukraine would permit the production and sale of genetically modified soybeans and corn in the country if it becomes law. The proposal marks a shift in Ukraine’s stance toward GM crops, which has been negative until now.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has submitted the proposal to the Cabinet for consideration, it was recently reported. Six Ukrainian agricultural associations supported the proposal, along with several Ukrainian agricultural experts. The proposal is anticipated to become law before the end of the year.

The country has had its “On Biosafety” law, which has prohibited the use of GM products or GM seed. However, the possible economic benefits are swaying those in government and research that the adoption of GM crops would be financially beneficial for the country and its farmers.

“We could mull over this issue for a long time, but we, jointly with the associations, have signed two letters to change the law on biosecurity, in which we propose the legalization of the use of GM seeds, which had been tested in the United Stated for a long time, for our producers,” said President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) Volodymyr Klymenko at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

The Ukrainian market is expected to attract leading global agricultural companies to the region as other European countries have restricted the growth of the GM crop industry in Europe. It is speculated that the Ukraine could become a key producer of GM products in Europe over the next five to seven years, which could spur growth in corn production and thereby increase exports. AGprofessional

US: Future for genetically modified apples in a McDonald's Happy Meal?

US: Future for genetically modified apples in a McDonald's Happy Meal?

Neal Carter, the founder and president of Okanagan Specialty Fruits, wants to create nearly perfect apples that won't brown for weeks, even when bruised or sliced open. The U.S. government could approve his "Arctic Apple" for consumption as soon as early 2014.

Carter told me in a 2012 interview that he envisions his genetically modified apples as a transformative force in the food industry, which knows that browning apples are a turn-off for consumers. "Other than McDonald’s buying apples to make their dippers, apples are hardly at all going to food service. We want to increase that," he said at the time. But will the food service industry--and packaged food providers in general--actually go for a genetically modified apple?

In early November, the anti-GMO environmental group Friends of the Earth claimed that both McDonald's and Gerber aren't interested in the Arctic Apple. Their contention was based on emails from the companies. In one, a McDonald's representative writes that the company has no "current plans to source the Arctic Apple variety." In the other, Gerber explains its GMO-free ingredient policy and writes that it doesn't plan to source Arctic Apples in the future.

The Gerber stance is straightforward: The company doesn't use GMO ingredients in its fruit and vegetable purées, period. But McDonald's has no such policy for its products, and there's no reason to think it wouldn't consider the Arctic Apple in the future if consumer sentiment pointed to its acceptance. In an email, Carter explained his consumer research that indicates people will, in fact, accept the apple: "After learning how we created Arctic apples, consumers are likely or extremely likely to purchase Arctic apples by a margin of three to one." 

While there is still widespread scepticism about the health and environmental safety of genetically modified foods, two recent bills proposing to label GMO ingredients in packaged foods--one in California, one in Washington--failed. In both cases, however, the pro-GMO lobby spent considerably more cash on their campaigns. And Whole Foods recently announced a plan to require GMO ingredient labelling on all foods sold in its stores by 2018. Chipotle also just became the first chain restaurant to implement GMO labelling in its shops.

Source: fastcoexist.com