13 states reject Bt brinjal
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COMMENTS 
The road ahead for Bt brinjal has become rockier, with states that enjoy an almost 75% share in the country’s brinjal crop categorically refusing to grow the genetically modified variety
Three days ahead of an expected government announcement on commercial use of genetically modified Bt brinjal in India, the chief ministers of 13 states have officially conveyed to the Centre that they don’t want their farmers to grow the crop.
Although the government is aware of the growing criticism, it is expected to announce its decision by the middle of this week, after Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh hears the views of scientists and the general public.
Environment ministry officials said the state of West Bengal, which contributes 30% of the country’s brinjal crop, has already told the Centre that it doesn’t want its farmers to grow the genetically modified version of the crop.
So too has Orissa (that contributes 20% of total yield), Bihar (11%), Andhra Pradesh (6%), and Karnataka (4%). All these states have written letters to the Centre stating their decision not to grow Bt brinjal.
The strongest response has come from Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal who has not only banned Bt brinjal in his state but urged the Centre to follow suit. The governments of Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan have also officially conveyed to the Centre their decision not to grow Bt brinjal.
At every public discussion held in the country, starting from Kolkata on January 13, the environment minister has faced stiff resistance against the introduction of Bt brinjal. Apart from heated arguments in Kolkata, the minister has been welcomed with burning effigies in places where the public consultations were held.
Consultations in Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, and Kolkata were part of a nationwide exercise by the ministry. “Public consultations are mandated in the Cartagena Protocol to which India is a signatory. The environment minister is right in setting a precedent like this. He had already faced opposition from the agriculture minister and science and technology minister on the issue,” said Kavitha Kuruganti of Kheti Virasat Mission.
In keeping with the previous six public consultations, the consultation in Bangalore was also marked by protests and frequent interruptions. Chaired by Ramesh, it witnessed a war of words between stakeholders holding divergent opinions and attempts to prevent speakers from airing their views. Farmers outnumbered other stakeholders. Ramesh allowed them to share their views for nearly 90 minutes in the three-and-a-half-hour meet.
A number of farmers from the cotton-growing belt of north Karnataka, citing their experiences with Bt cotton, argued for Bt brinjal; an equal number opposed it, voicing fears of biodiversity contamination and subservience to seed-manufacturing companies.
Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the venue. Activists from organisations such as Greenpeace, Campus Front of India, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, etc, held placards and raised slogans throughout the consultation.
The disclosure of details of a gazette notification that has kept 190 plant species, including brinjal, out of the purview of the Biological Diversity Act added to the heat. The exercise, which witnessed frequent disruptions by both pro- and anti-GM technology groups, saw tempers rise when Karnataka Organic Farming Mission Chairman S Ananda displayed a copy of the October 26, 2009, notification from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and charged that the consultation was an eyewash.
Bringing the curtain down on the round of consultations Ramesh said he would announce his decision at 12.30 pm on February 10. “I cannot ignore public opinion and the decision will be fair. I have to (tread the) fine line between science and society. I am not under any pressure from anybody. I am also aware that the decision will set the pattern for future food crops. I have to be careful. All the factors behind the decision will be made available on the website. Half the country will be happy with my decision, and the other half will not be,” he noted.
Source: DNA, February 8, 2010
The Indian Express, February 8, 2010
The Hindu, February 6, 2010