July 4: The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and civil society organisations demanded that state government stop immediately, all genetically modified (GM) field trials in Karnataka. The organisation, at a press conference here on Monday, demanded that state government, on the lines of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, write to the Central Government, informing it that they will disallow such trials in the state.
A local TV channel and Greenpeace documented the aftermath of a GM field trial by Monsanto last Thursday in the village of Banihatti in Sindagi taluk of Bijapur district and accused the American multinational seed giant of violating biosafety rules. Greenpeace has sent a letter along with video documentation of the field trial and other relevant evidences to the Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, and also to the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Apart from immediate action against Monsanto India Ltd and the demand for it to be blacklisted by government, the organisations also demanded that the region around this trial site be immediately cordoned off and a contamination study of the region ordered. “What we saw on the ground proves once again that the citizens of this country cannot trust the regulatory body in this country to ensure that our health, farming and environment are protected from the risks of GM crops,” said Shivani Shah, sustainable agriculture campaigner, Greenpeace India.
Kodihalli Chandrasekhar, president, KRRS said, “Field trials and seed production of GM corn has also been permitted for this kha iff. Karnataka farmers are being made scapegoats by multinational seed corporations like Monsanto whose past is chequered with numerous cases of violations of farmers’ rights over their seeds. If our elected governments remain silent spectators to such onslaughts of seed corporations, farmers of the state will have to resort to direct action to protect their seeds, farms and livelihoods. State government has to come forward to ban such trials in Karnataka and immediately stop Monsanto from operating in the state.”
Kavitha Kuruganti, convenor, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture [ASHA] said, “It is clear that our regulators have no control whatsoever on the open air release of GM seeds even as they sit in Delhi and clear dozens of applications for such environmental release. Field trials today pose a grave threat and we have highlighted the failures of the regulators, time and again, including in a presentation we made to the GEAC on May 11. “It is also clear that regulators are allowing the industry and conflicting interests to prevail in their decision-making, forgetting that they have been given a mandate to protect our environment, health and habitat from the risks of modern biotechnology.
“Liability has to be fixed on Monsanto for the grave violations found here; further, government should fix liability on the regulators for such lapses. “It is time that environmental releases including open air trials and seed production be stopped immediately”.
