Genetically modified crops: India
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[[File: GM crops in India and the world; A timeline of GM crops in India, 2010 onwards....jpg|GM crops in India and the world; A timeline of GM crops in India, 2010 onwards…; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=WILL-MUSTARD-LAY-THE-FIELD-FOR-GM-FOOD-17052017032008 The Times of India], May 17, 2017|frame|500px]] | [[File: GM crops in India and the world; A timeline of GM crops in India, 2010 onwards....jpg|GM crops in India and the world; A timeline of GM crops in India, 2010 onwards…; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=WILL-MUSTARD-LAY-THE-FIELD-FOR-GM-FOOD-17052017032008 The Times of India], May 17, 2017|frame|500px]] | ||
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| + | =Impact on farmers= | ||
| + | ==How Uttarakhand farmers are battling the GM seed onslaught== | ||
| + | [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Farmers-resist-GM-tide-with-local-seeds-31052017020012 Jayashree Nandi, Farmers resist GM tide with local seeds, The Times of India], May 31, 2017 | ||
| + | [[File: How traditional farmers, especially in Uttarakhand, obtain seeds.jpg| How traditional farmers, especially in Uttarakhand, obtain seeds. <br/> The seed exchange system; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Farmers-resist-GM-tide-with-local-seeds-31052017020012 Jayashree Nandi, Farmers resist GM tide with local seeds, The Times of India], May 31, 2017|frame|500px]] | ||
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| + | ''' But Fear That Promised Yield Of GM Mustard Could Give Corporations An Upper Hand ''' | ||
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| + | Upli Nagni, Tehri-Garh wal: The words `seed capital' take on a whole new meaning in the hills of Uttarakhand. Far from the networks of seed corporations, farmers here still do agriculture the traditional way where they are not only cultivators but also field scientists and seed tinkerers. | ||
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| + | Most farmers in the Garhwal and Kumaon hills have never bought commercial seeds. They cultivate their own and share them with other farmers, who repay with their own local seeds or return double the quantity of the borrowed variety from the next crop. This system has preserved seed diversity and quality for centuries. | ||
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| + | “You will not be able to count the number of seed varieties we have in our village. People come here to borrow and we give away happily ,“ said Pushpa Devi, who was tilling the soil for planting vegetables in Jhardargaon near Upli Nagni with a younger woman farmer named Hima Meher.Their village has about 350 varieties of paddy , including dryland ones, 32 of wheat, 220 of kidney beans or rajma, 12 of millets (63 sub-varieties of foxtail millet alone), and 5-7 varieties of each vegetable that grows here. | ||
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| + | Jhardargaon is home to farmer leader Vijay Jhardari, who leads the Beej Bachao Andolan for preserving traditional seed varieties. He and other farmer leaders are now worried as the promised yields of the newly-approved genetically modified (GM) mustard could give the corporations an upper hand in their David-and-Goliath fight. | ||
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| + | “The hills of Uttarakhand have a culture of mixed cropping. Just like you can't eat the same food every day , the soil doesn't like a monopoly of crops. It wants variety . The crop cycle here is what suits the climate and gives the nutrients to soil and people,“ said Jhardari, adding, “GM technology will ruin the Himalayan ecology .“ | ||
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| + | Jhardari is a veteran of Chipko Andolan that aimed to save trees in the 1970s. He started Beej Bachao with other Chipko members.When TOI met him, he was preparing for a festival to commemorate the tree-hugging movement. “We had a slogan for our seed movement: kya hai jungle ke upkar? Mitti, pani aur byar (what are the benefits of forests? Soil, water and air).“ | ||
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| + | He opposes the intellectual property rights (IPR) corporations claim on their seeds. “I would say all patents on seeds should be banned.Seed is a common resource for farmers. If farmers lose access to their seeds, they will lose their independence and dignity .“ Satish Dhar, another activist and Dehradunbased farmer, agreed with Jhardari: “Nature tries to create a seed suited to an area's geography . Local seeds are in harmony with local en vironment,“ he said, adding, “Today , seed accounts for 1015% of a crop's cost. | ||
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| + | Farmers can't afford it. It comes with a package of herbicides and crop insurance.It's a nexus and the farmer gets trapped.“ | ||
| + | |||
| + | Beej Bachao members distrust not only corporations but also agricultural universities and national institutions. “I am not in favour of giving my seeds to the National Gene Bank. Why should we? | ||
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| + | Will they return those varieties to us when we need them? | ||
| + | Will they promise not to share them with companies? I know that they gave some of our millet varieties to leading biscuit companies,“ said Dhar. | ||
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| + | Jhardari said G B Pant University of Technology and Agriculture, and Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sanstha in Almora had modified their seed varieties but “the new varieties they give haven't worked for most, so people avoid them.“ | ||
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| + | Like Jhardargaon in Garhwal, Gallakot in the state's Kumaon region is also famous for seed diversity . A steep hike within sight of Ranikhet hills brings you to the farm of Dayanand Joshi (75) who grows several varieties of mandwa, jhungar or koni (millets), amaranth, a number of dals and vegetables. In 1962, he bred a radish variety that can weigh up to 15kg and tastes better than the commercial variety . | ||
Revision as of 15:00, 30 June 2017
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
The Times of India
Contents |
Approval for commercial cultivation of GM food crops
2017/ Mustard
Road Cleared For Govt, But It May Await SC Verdict
India is one step away from commercial production of its first GM food crop with the central biotech regulator on Thursday granting clearance for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified mustard that will now be considered for final approval by the Centre.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) recommended that the environment ministry approve GM mustard. The decision on commercial cultivation of this transgenic variety of oilseed is now on environment minister Anil Dave's table who can accept the recommendation or could await a Supreme Court ruling in a ca se challenging cultivation of GM mustard and open field trials of any transgenic crop. Indications are that the minister could await the apex court's order before taking his call, with the ministry ha ving informed the SC that the government will go ahead on GM mustard only after getting its nod. But the GEAC decision is significant as GM mustard has passed scientific evaluation and a recent Niti Aayog paper also batted for it despite reservations of saffron groups like Swadeshi Jagran Manch.
In fact, even on Tuesday , the SJM issued a statement saying it is against commercial use of any genetically modified crops, including GM mustard, and will request the government not to allow commercial cultivation.The SJM has joined forces with activists and organisations opposed to GM crops. Activist Aruna Rodrigues had last year filed a pet ition in the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on commercial release of GM mustard crop. She urged the court to prohibit open field trials and commercial release of herbicide tolerant (HT) crops, including HT Mustard DMH 11 and its parent linesvariants as recommended by the technical expert committee (TEC) report of the apex court.
The GM mustard, devel oped by a Delhi University institution, is only the second food crop cleared by the central regulator. The GEAC had earlier in 2010 cleared Bt brinjal but the decision was not accepted by then environment minister Jairam Ramesh. Currently , only Bt cotton is commercially cultivated in the country .
GM crops, India and the world
See graphic
Impact on farmers
How Uttarakhand farmers are battling the GM seed onslaught
Jayashree Nandi, Farmers resist GM tide with local seeds, The Times of India, May 31, 2017
The seed exchange system; Jayashree Nandi, Farmers resist GM tide with local seeds, The Times of India, May 31, 2017
But Fear That Promised Yield Of GM Mustard Could Give Corporations An Upper Hand
Upli Nagni, Tehri-Garh wal: The words `seed capital' take on a whole new meaning in the hills of Uttarakhand. Far from the networks of seed corporations, farmers here still do agriculture the traditional way where they are not only cultivators but also field scientists and seed tinkerers.
Most farmers in the Garhwal and Kumaon hills have never bought commercial seeds. They cultivate their own and share them with other farmers, who repay with their own local seeds or return double the quantity of the borrowed variety from the next crop. This system has preserved seed diversity and quality for centuries.
“You will not be able to count the number of seed varieties we have in our village. People come here to borrow and we give away happily ,“ said Pushpa Devi, who was tilling the soil for planting vegetables in Jhardargaon near Upli Nagni with a younger woman farmer named Hima Meher.Their village has about 350 varieties of paddy , including dryland ones, 32 of wheat, 220 of kidney beans or rajma, 12 of millets (63 sub-varieties of foxtail millet alone), and 5-7 varieties of each vegetable that grows here.
Jhardargaon is home to farmer leader Vijay Jhardari, who leads the Beej Bachao Andolan for preserving traditional seed varieties. He and other farmer leaders are now worried as the promised yields of the newly-approved genetically modified (GM) mustard could give the corporations an upper hand in their David-and-Goliath fight.
“The hills of Uttarakhand have a culture of mixed cropping. Just like you can't eat the same food every day , the soil doesn't like a monopoly of crops. It wants variety . The crop cycle here is what suits the climate and gives the nutrients to soil and people,“ said Jhardari, adding, “GM technology will ruin the Himalayan ecology .“
Jhardari is a veteran of Chipko Andolan that aimed to save trees in the 1970s. He started Beej Bachao with other Chipko members.When TOI met him, he was preparing for a festival to commemorate the tree-hugging movement. “We had a slogan for our seed movement: kya hai jungle ke upkar? Mitti, pani aur byar (what are the benefits of forests? Soil, water and air).“
He opposes the intellectual property rights (IPR) corporations claim on their seeds. “I would say all patents on seeds should be banned.Seed is a common resource for farmers. If farmers lose access to their seeds, they will lose their independence and dignity .“ Satish Dhar, another activist and Dehradunbased farmer, agreed with Jhardari: “Nature tries to create a seed suited to an area's geography . Local seeds are in harmony with local en vironment,“ he said, adding, “Today , seed accounts for 1015% of a crop's cost.
Farmers can't afford it. It comes with a package of herbicides and crop insurance.It's a nexus and the farmer gets trapped.“
Beej Bachao members distrust not only corporations but also agricultural universities and national institutions. “I am not in favour of giving my seeds to the National Gene Bank. Why should we?
Will they return those varieties to us when we need them? Will they promise not to share them with companies? I know that they gave some of our millet varieties to leading biscuit companies,“ said Dhar.
Jhardari said G B Pant University of Technology and Agriculture, and Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sanstha in Almora had modified their seed varieties but “the new varieties they give haven't worked for most, so people avoid them.“
Like Jhardargaon in Garhwal, Gallakot in the state's Kumaon region is also famous for seed diversity . A steep hike within sight of Ranikhet hills brings you to the farm of Dayanand Joshi (75) who grows several varieties of mandwa, jhungar or koni (millets), amaranth, a number of dals and vegetables. In 1962, he bred a radish variety that can weigh up to 15kg and tastes better than the commercial variety .
