Fwd: [gmfreeindia]-one response to the op-ed- Centre to take call on allowing GM crop field trials after SC decision

[Ramasamy Selvam]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rajesh Krishnan <rajeshe...@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2014 13:09:26 +0530
Subject: Re: [gmfreeindia] Centre to take call on allowing GM crop
field trials after SC decision
To: gmfreeindia <gmfre...@googlegroups.com>

An intentionally badly written story. They 've published my comment(pasted
below) also. More of us commenting on such cantankerous journalism would be
good.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Was this an opinion piece in the disguise of news reportage ? In either
case very inaccurate and seems intended to create a sense that the GM crops
are beneficial and opposition to it is anti-science. How else should one
take the absence of mention of the recommendations by Supreme court
appointed Technical Expert Committee and the Parliamentary standing
committee to stop the field trials. The omission of more than 250 Indian
scientists writing to the PM on stopping GM field trials is also
surprising. It is unfortunate that media is doing this spin of opposition
to GM crops being from RSS affiliated bodies which is absolutely untrue.
The opposition to GM crops in India, as elsewhere in the world, is from
across all sections of the society be it farmers, scientists, consumers,
environmentalists, cultural groups, political outfits etc. lastly the Govt
agencies like Cotton Advisory Board themselves have acknowledged that Bt
cotton has not increased yield/productivity in the country. It is the
Industry organisations that 've been misleading the country by repeating
the falsehoods around Bt cotton increasing yields and the media seems to be
parroting it without any scrutiny. This has only helped American
Multinational Seed giant Monsanto to take complete control of our cotton
seed market with in 10 years of approval of Bt cotton. Its time that media
houses become a little more responsible while reporting about GM crops
because it is citizens health, biodiversity of our country, farm
livelihoods, seed sovereignty and all together the nation's welfare which
is at risk.


On Thu, Sep 4, 2014 at 12:20 PM, Kavitha Kuruganti <
kavitha....@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> http://www.financialexpress.com/news/centre-to-take-call-on-allowing-gm-crop-field-trials-after-sc-decision/1285045
>
> Centre to take call on allowing GM crop field trials after SC decision
> fe Bureau <http://www.financialexpress.com/columnist/febureau/1> | New
> Delhi | Published: Sep 03 2014, 01:25 IST
>
>
> Print <http://www.financialexpress.com/story-print/1285045/>
> 4G +0 0SU0
> Comments 1
> <http://www.financialexpress.com/news/centre-to-take-call-on-allowing-gm-crop-field-trials-after-sc-decision/1285045#postComment>
> *Summary*Environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said the
> government will take a call on allowing field trials of GM crops only after
> the Supreme Court gives its decision.
>
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>
> Environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said the government will
> take a call on allowing field trials of GM crops only after
>
> the Supreme Court gives its decision.
>
> The apex court has fixed September 16 as next hearing for the public
> interest litigation filed in 2005 by activist Aruna Rodrigues and lawyer
> Prashant Bhushan, demanding a ban on import and sowing of GM crops in
> India.
>
> This comes after an RSS-backed outfit, following a meeting with Javadekar,
> recently said the government has put trials of GM crops on hold.Former
> environment minister Veerappa Moily in the UPA government had approved GM
> field trials for crops such as rice, maize, wheat and chickpea.
>
> Meanwhile, 45 transgenic crops approved by the genetic engineering
> appraisal committee (GEAC) during UPA rule for field trials await mandatory
> nod from the state governments concerned, thus delaying commercial
> introduction of GM crops. However, with states including Bihar, Odisha,
> Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu refusing to
> give mandatory NOC for GM field trials, it has delayed the process of
> commercial cultivation of various drought, flood and other stress-tolerant
> GM crops.
>
> Agriculture ministry sources told FE that only states like Punjab, Andhra
> Pradesh Haryana and Maharashtra have agreed to provide NOC for GM trials.
>
> Since new environment minister Javadekar has decided to put on hold the
> recent GEAC clearance for field trials of 15 varieties of GM crops,
> including rice, mustard, cotton, chickpea and brinjal, the companies
> investing in research and development of GM crops have termed the move as
> 'anti-science' and said it would delay use of biotechnology in the
> agriculture sector.
>
> Besides there is now uncertainty about the future of 70 new applications
> for GM field trials pending before the GEAC.
>
> Since the introduction of BT cotton in 2002, no food crop has been
> introduced for commercial cultivation.
>
> After the introduction of BT cotton, the country's annual output has
> increased from 13.7 million bales (one bale is 170 kg) in 2002-03 to 36.5
> million bales in 2013-14, a huge jump of 166%.
>
>
> --
> ------
> KAVITHA KURUGANTI
> Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)
>
> Office: A-124/6, First Floor, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi 110 016
> Residence: # 302, Santhome Apartments, 33/1, 1st A Cross, Indiranagar I
> Stage, Bangalore 560 038
>
> www.kisanswaraj.in
> www.indiagminfo.org &
> www.indiaforsafefood.in
>
> Phone: +91-9393001550
> Skype: kavitha.kuruganti
>
>
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--
Rajesh Krishnan
Convenor, Coalition for GM Free India
mob: 09845650032

indiagminfo.org

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--
R.Selvam,
Co-ordinator,
Tamil Nadu Organic Farmers Federation
Pudu Nilavu Food Forest,
Thalavu Malai,Arachalur,
Erode District,Tamil nadu,638 101
09443663562