News
June 22,2011: Jorhat:-Research into genetically modified crops continues for B.K. Sarmah and others working in the agricultural biotechnology department of the Assam Agricultural University, as the debate over the safety of such produce, like the BT brinjal, rages elsewhere.A product of the department, the weevil resistant chickpea, (but mah), is currently being tested in a university in America to determine how safe it is for human consumption“The tests for allergencities in human beings will be completed in the next six months to one year and then the bio-safety can be proved without doubt,” said Sarmah, the professor of the department.Sarmah said he was sure that the genetically modified chickpea would be much safer than those doused in pesticides to prevent weevil infestation, as is done in many places of Assam.“A few years ago, there was a furore in the state over the deaths of many schoolchildren after eating soaked chickpeas. The other day people were taken ill after consuming the same during a festival in Lahdoigarh and the most likely reason was that these were dunked in pesticides before storage,” he said.Sarmah said the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, had bought the weevil resistant technology.
June21,2011:-In the last year Europe’s production of genetically-modified (GM) food has fallen 23% while eight countries in the continent have established long-term moratoriums. On the other side of the world Peru has done the same while debate continues to heat up across its borders. In the first part of our GM Special we take stock of the situation in South America, where opposition to transgenic corn and soya has spilled over to affect the horticultural sector.The Peruvian Congress recently approved a bill for a 10-year moratorium on transgenic seeds based on the argument they could negatively affect the country’s rich biodiversity.Opponents of GM in Peru have raised concerns over the potential effects of GM foods on organic produce, which has been one of the country’s many strengths in recent times with 48.3% growth in the first quarter of 2011.But for many people involved in the industry, such as ArgenBIO (Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) executive director Gabriela Levitus, the idea of cross-over effects from existing transgenic crops is inconceivable.“The main organic products are café, lemons, cocoa, mango, onion, among others, while transgenic crops are corn and soya, and in all they do not compete at all,” she says.Her thoughts are echoed by Chile Bio executive director Miguel Angel Sánchez.“If you put transgenic corn next to native potatoes, there is no problem, because the potato does not reproduce with the corn, they are not sexually compatible.
June16,2011:-Monsanto Canada recently reported that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has granted approval for its latest GM offering, the intriguingly named "refuge in a bag" Bt corn. With all the hype surrounding GM crops, it would be easy to dismiss this announcement as just another piece of press puff from the GM giant. But unfortunately this new development is actually something we need to keep a close eye on. As we have come to expect, the government has let the GM community police itself, leaving the companies that are peddling the new technology to regulate its use.First, it is important to understand what a "refuge" is when it comes to GM crops. Despite the fact that Animal Welfare Approved has blogged extensively on the many drawbacks and dangers of GM technology, the concept of "refuge" actually relates to a problem that we haven't covered in detail before -- namely the inevitable development of pest resistance to GM crops.The requirement for a "refuge" arose because it is widely accepted that pest insects will, over time, develop resistance to the crops that have been genetically modified to poison them. One would logically expect that if you expose a large number of pests to a single pesticide year after year, the survivors will eventually breed, leading in time to the emergence of a resistant population.
June15,2011:BEIJING :— Genetically modified rice has been spreading illegally for years in China, officials have admitted, triggering a debate on a sensitive aspect of the food security plan in the world's most populous nation.Two strains of GM rice were approved for open-field experiments but not commercial sale in 2009. In January, the agriculture ministry said "no genetically modified cereals are being grown in China" outside the test sites.But in April, an environment ministry official told the weekly Nanfang Zhoumo that a joint investigation by four government departments had found that "illegal GM seeds are present in several provinces because of weak management".The agriculture ministry did not respond to an AFP request for clarification.According to the website for the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, European countries found foodstuffs from China containing GM rice 115 times between 2006 and May this yearThe campaign group Greenpeace says GM rice seeds have been in China since 2005, and were found at markets in Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces last year, Fang Lifeng, a Chinese agriculture specialist with the group, told AFP.Beijing is pro-biotechnology and has already allowed several GM crops to be grown, including cotton, peppers, tomatoes and papayas, and has authorised imports of GM soya and corn for the food industry.
June14,2011:NEW DELHI:-Trial plans for biotech version of crops like rice, cotton, corn, castor, sorghum and potato could be delayed since a crucial meeting of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) was postponed by a month from scheduled date of June 8.The meeting was expected to discuss permission of field trials and research for some biotech crops during the coming kharif season.Biotech industry representatives said the deferment in considering the cases for field trials for biotech crops could seriously delay the trial plans because after GEAC gives permission for field trials, consent from respective state where the trials would be held is also needed.The GEAC has not given any specific reason for postponing the meeting. Its website just said the 110th GEAC meeting was now rescheduled for July 6.Agenda for the same meeting would be posted on the website in due course of time, the statement posted on the website said.The crops are being developed by some private companies like Bayer, Du Pont Pioneer and Mahyco and even some government-run institutions like Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Central Research Institute For Dryland Agriculture and Central Potato Research Institute.Of these, paddy, corn and cotton crops are grown during the Kharif season sowing for which starts around June-July.