States say no to Bt brinjal

New Delhi, Jan. 12: With an agricultural crisis facing them, state governments are not in the mood to antagonise their farmers and are saying no to Bt brinjal.

Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar and even Tamil Nadu have banned the commercial cultivation of genetically modified Bt brinjal insisting its production will adversely affect farmers in their states. Their decision has come in the wake of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) permitting the commercial cultivation of this controversial vegetable.

Madhya Pradesh state agriculture minister, Mr Ramakrishna Kusmariya, claims there are many ecological alternatives to pest management and Bt brinjal is the most expensive out of the lot. He cited the example of how the introduction of Bt cotton saw cotton seed prices escalate from Rs 7 to Rs 1,070 post Bt cotton.

The Chhattisgarh government wants comprehensive trials on the effects of Bt brinjal on both human and animals to be made public before they permit its introduction.

Bt brinjal is being promoted by Mahyco Monsanto biotech, a joint venture between the Hyderabad-based Mahyco and the US-based Monsanto, along with the University of Agriculture Sciences, Dharawad, and Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore.