HYDERABAD: Activists wearing brinjal-shaped masks marched into the Erragadda Rythu Bazar on Tuesday morning to raise awareness among vendors and consumers on Bt Brinjal, a genetically-modified strain created by agriculture company Monsanto.
The campaign, organised jointly by the Greenpeace and the GM (genetic modification) - Free Coalition of India, sought to boost awareness on Bt Brinjal before a consultation on the modified plant to be held in the city on January 22. “Genetically-modified food goes against our basic rights,” explained Greenpeace organiser Prarthana Banikya adding, “Once Bt Brinjal gets out into the market, there’s no way its supply can be controlled. You can’t differentiate by sight between Bt Brinjal and natural brinjal. We must have a right to choose our food.”
The activists demanded rigorous long-term tests before Bt Brinjal is released into the market. As of now, only minor tests have been performed on laboratory mice, and the effects have not been encouraging.
“The tests they’ve done so far show great damage to the lab rats – especially to the lungs and kidneys. Bt Brinjal has also been linked to growth impediments,” said Banikya. “It’s irresponsible to release these experimental foods into the market without proper research,” he added.
“The Bt toxins produced in Bt brinjal are also present in the other Monsanto products such as Bt cotton and Bt corn. They have been conclusively linked to organ toxicity and growth impediments when fed to animals. The value of the Bt toxin as a pesticide is also in serious doubt. Bt cotton, in particular, has proved notoriously unreliable, with several successive crop failures. Studies have shown Bt cotton to be ineffective against bollworms, India’s main cotton pest,” the activists said. A farmer at the Erragadda market claimed to have lost four acres of land to Bt cotton. Bt Brinjal also carries with it grave ecological implications. The wide variety of brinjal now being cultivated in India would come under threat, and many fear that Monsanto aims to eliminate the existing varieties and replace them with its own genetically engineered stock.
The governments of West Bengal, Orissa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bihar have all indicated their opposition to the Union Government’s plan to approve Bt Brinjal, and the activists hope Andhra Pradesh will also reject the plan on January 22.
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