Siddarth Dubey
What is Genetic Modification? Genetic modification involves altering an organism’s DNA. This can bedone by altering an existing section of DNA, or by adding a new gene altogether. A gene is a code that governs how we appear and what characteristics we have. When a scientist genetically modifiesa plant, they insert a foreign gene in the plant’s own genes. This might be a gene from a bacterium resistant to pesticide, for example. The result is that the plant receives the characteristics held within the genetic code. Consequently the genetically modified plant also becomes able to withstandpesticides. Besides cotton, genetic engineering experiments are being conducted on maize,mustardsugarcane, sorghum, pigeonpea, chickpea, rice, tomato, brinjal, potato, banana, papaya, cauliflower, oilseeds, castor, soyabean and medicinal plants. In fact, such is the desperation that scientists are trying to insert Bt gene into any crop they can lay their hands on, not knowing whether this is desirable or not.
If hunger could be addressed by technology, green revolution would have done it long ago.The fact is that hunger has grown in India in absolute terms some 320 million people go to bed hungry everynight.Fewyears back, India had a record food grain surplus of 65 million tonnes. If 65 million tonnes surplus could not feed the 320 million hungry, how will GM food remove hunger? In reality, GM food diverts precious financial resources to an irrelevant research, comes with stronger intellectual property rights, and is aimed at strengthening corporate control over agriculture.
India is under tremendous pressure from the biotechnology industry to allow GM crops. These companies have the financial resources to mobilise scientific opinion as well as political support. With nothing to show by way of scientific breakthrough in the past three decades, GM research will ensure livelihood security for the scientists.
In three years of trials, the experiments were not conducted as per scientific norms. And yet, the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, Ministry of environment & forests) had approved the results. The experiment only showed that such products are not suitable for Indian conditions. If only the same attention had gone to more sustainable farming systems, India would have been able to create a unique model of agriculture where farmers are not forced to commit suicide.GM crops experiments show that the country is fast moving into a hitherto unforeseen era of biological pollution, which will be more unsustainable and also destructive to human health. We have already lost control over our plant, animal and microbial genetic resources. A copy of roughly 1,50,000 plant accessions that have been collected in India, are with the US department of agriculture. India has no control over these resources. At the same time, India is now busy documenting traditional knowledge, so as to help the American companies know the uses of the plant species they have got from us. Further, Traderelated Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) allow patents on genes and cell lines, which will block India’s agricultural research leading to what canbe termedas a scientific apartheid against the developing countries.GEAC should emphasize biological risk assessment. GEAC should regulate genetic technology like the US Recombinant Advisory Committee (RCA) does for genetically engineered drugs. RCA makes it mandatory for companies to provide a list of negaiive and harmful impacts and minimizes that impact before approving for commercial sale. As a result, the approval process takes 25 years. Unfortunately, GM research in India is not being made to evaluate potential harm to human health and environment. This is because the GEAC does not want the companies to spend more on research. At the same time, policymakers worldwide must ensure that risk assessments of GM crops are conducted to address the specific concerns of their regions.
In assessing risks, policymakers in developing nations must consider, among other factors, the types of native and agricultural plants that may be affected by the presence of GM crops, traditional farming practices and the desired traits of GM crops that may be planted in their regions in the near term and long term.
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