Modified brinjal sees opposition
Campaigners against genetic modification (GM) of foods yesterday vehemently opposed any move to release — Bt Brinjal — the country’s first GM crop.
They feared that introduction of GM crop would cause loss of agricultural biodiversity, and Bt Brinjal would phase out the home-grown traditional brinjal varieties.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Bari) applied to the National Technical Committee for Crop Biotechnology on Monday seeking release of Bt Brinjal next month.
Four days into the move, Ubinig, a national green group, and two of its associate organisations — Nayakrishi Andolon and Ubinig Shashthya Andolon — formed two human chains in front of Bari and the deputy commissioner’s office in Gazipur yesterday.
Farida Akhter, executive director of Ubinig, led the anti-GM activists’ protest and also lobbied with local lawmaker from the ruling Awami League Zahid Ahsan Russel to raise the issue in parliament.
Bari scientists had earlier developed Bt Brinjal by inserting a crystal protein gene (Cry1Ac) taken from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, known as Bt, into the traditional homegrown brinjal cultivars.
They claimed Bt Brinjal is effective to fight the Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB), considered the most devastating pest in South and Southeast Asia that ravages brinjal fields and can cause loss of the crop by as much as 70 percent unless a heavy dose of pesticide is used.
Of all vegetables produced in the country, brinjal tops the list in terms of pesticide use.
Farmers are found to apply pesticides for up to 50 times in a cropping season of brinjal against a recommended dose of 25 times, making the vegetable highly toxic.
Reached over the phone, lawmaker Zahid told The Daily Star that he just happened to be there when anti-GM activists were protesting outside the Gazipur DC office against possible release of Bt Brinjal and “they approached me and requested me to raise the issue in parliament.”
The lawmaker said he would first try to know about the GM crop developments and would consider taking up the issue in parliament if “it is a public concern.”
Farida Akhter said release of GM brinjal would create “biological pollution” and damage local varieties. She was also highly critical of what she said was maintaining secrecy in seeking GM crop approval.
Contacted, Bari Director General Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Mondal said he heard from some office staffs yesterday that a group of people formed a human chain outside the Bari office yesterday morning.
Welcoming all sorts of dissents on the GM issue, he said applying the techniques of genetic engineering in crop science is a new development, and the government would give approval to release of Bt Brinjal only when all its biosafety regulatory bodies are convinced about safety aspects of production, marketing and consumption of the crop.
Rafiqul Islam also allayed the concern about “maintaining secrecy” by saying, “There is no secrecy here. Once the National Technical Committee for Crop Biotechnology clears our application seeking approval of Bt Brinjal, it would go to the environment ministry for further clearance, and public consultation will take place.”
GM crops are derived from traditional plant varieties by altering their genetic make-up in laboratories for faster growth, resistance to pests, production of extra nutrients, or any other beneficial purpose. This is usually done by adding one or more genes to a plant’s genome using genetic engineering techniques.
Once the crop is released, Bangladesh will join a group of 28 countries that grow GM crops. Though it will be the country’s first home-grown GM crop, consumers have long been exposed to GM food through consumption of imported GM soybean oil.
Three countries in South Asia — India, Pakistan and Myanmar — grow only one GM crop — cotton. If Bt brinjal is approved for release, Bangladesh will be the first in the region to grow a GM food crop.
The release of Bt Brinjal was stalled in India amid outcry from green groups while anti-GM activists damaged the GM crop in experimental areas in the Philippines.
But none of the two countries slapped ban on Bt Brinjal.
India imposed a temporary moratorium on its release while research on the GM crop reached an advanced stage in the Philippines.
They feared that introduction of GM crop would cause loss of agricultural biodiversity, and Bt Brinjal would phase out the home-grown traditional brinjal varieties.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Bari) applied to the National Technical Committee for Crop Biotechnology on Monday seeking release of Bt Brinjal next month.
Four days into the move, Ubinig, a national green group, and two of its associate organisations — Nayakrishi Andolon and Ubinig Shashthya Andolon — formed two human chains in front of Bari and the deputy commissioner’s office in Gazipur yesterday.
Farida Akhter, executive director of Ubinig, led the anti-GM activists’ protest and also lobbied with local lawmaker from the ruling Awami League Zahid Ahsan Russel to raise the issue in parliament.
Bari scientists had earlier developed Bt Brinjal by inserting a crystal protein gene (Cry1Ac) taken from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, known as Bt, into the traditional homegrown brinjal cultivars.
They claimed Bt Brinjal is effective to fight the Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB), considered the most devastating pest in South and Southeast Asia that ravages brinjal fields and can cause loss of the crop by as much as 70 percent unless a heavy dose of pesticide is used.
Of all vegetables produced in the country, brinjal tops the list in terms of pesticide use.
Farmers are found to apply pesticides for up to 50 times in a cropping season of brinjal against a recommended dose of 25 times, making the vegetable highly toxic.
Reached over the phone, lawmaker Zahid told The Daily Star that he just happened to be there when anti-GM activists were protesting outside the Gazipur DC office against possible release of Bt Brinjal and “they approached me and requested me to raise the issue in parliament.”
The lawmaker said he would first try to know about the GM crop developments and would consider taking up the issue in parliament if “it is a public concern.”
Farida Akhter said release of GM brinjal would create “biological pollution” and damage local varieties. She was also highly critical of what she said was maintaining secrecy in seeking GM crop approval.
Contacted, Bari Director General Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Mondal said he heard from some office staffs yesterday that a group of people formed a human chain outside the Bari office yesterday morning.
Welcoming all sorts of dissents on the GM issue, he said applying the techniques of genetic engineering in crop science is a new development, and the government would give approval to release of Bt Brinjal only when all its biosafety regulatory bodies are convinced about safety aspects of production, marketing and consumption of the crop.
Rafiqul Islam also allayed the concern about “maintaining secrecy” by saying, “There is no secrecy here. Once the National Technical Committee for Crop Biotechnology clears our application seeking approval of Bt Brinjal, it would go to the environment ministry for further clearance, and public consultation will take place.”
GM crops are derived from traditional plant varieties by altering their genetic make-up in laboratories for faster growth, resistance to pests, production of extra nutrients, or any other beneficial purpose. This is usually done by adding one or more genes to a plant’s genome using genetic engineering techniques.
Once the crop is released, Bangladesh will join a group of 28 countries that grow GM crops. Though it will be the country’s first home-grown GM crop, consumers have long been exposed to GM food through consumption of imported GM soybean oil.
Three countries in South Asia — India, Pakistan and Myanmar — grow only one GM crop — cotton. If Bt brinjal is approved for release, Bangladesh will be the first in the region to grow a GM food crop.
The release of Bt Brinjal was stalled in India amid outcry from green groups while anti-GM activists damaged the GM crop in experimental areas in the Philippines.
But none of the two countries slapped ban on Bt Brinjal.
India imposed a temporary moratorium on its release while research on the GM crop reached an advanced stage in the Philippines.
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