BHUBANESWAR: Thousands of tribal women from 54 blocks of 11 districts took out a rally protesting genetically-modified (GM) mustard seeds here on Saturday. Spokesperson of Orissa Nari Samaj Karmi Beshra said the GM mustard will kill all traditional and sustainable mustards in the State.
She came down heavily on Union Ministers who are supporting national and international corporate houses for obvious reasons. “While owners of many corporate houses are moving scot-free with waiver of loans, poor farmers are getting killed by police or committing suicide. The country needs to introspect and the Government should initiate steps to protect the interest of farmers,” she said.
The agitators demanded that the State government, which banned Bt Brinjal after continuous agitations, should also go against GM mustard if they want the support of farmers as in the past.
“In fact, Odisha was the first State to ban Bt Brinjal. But unfortunately, the government has not yet taken any initiative to ban GM mustard whereas other states, including Kerala, have already passed resolution against it,” Beshra added.
Farmers fear that GM mustard has potential adverse impacts on honey bees. This will also impact crop and honey production. As honey is a sunrise industry, mustard is one of the major sources for bee keepers. Bee keeping with mustard cultivation creates a win-win situation by increasing yields by about 20 per cent, even as it supports honey production and additional income for the bee keepers.
Besides, mustard is used both as food and medicine in Ayurveda. Mustard seeds and oil are used in various formulations for a variety of treatments. The impact of GM mustard on such uses is unstudied and unclear so far.Later, they met Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout and handed over their demands. They also submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister.