Indian scientist opposes Bangladesh's BT brinjal

India's leading molecular biologist Tushar Chakraborty has strongly criticised Bangladesh's decision to introduce four varieties of genetically modified brinjals.

Writing in India's prestigious Economic & Political Weekly (EPW), Chakraborty said: "The battle to promote genetically modified (GM) crops in south Asia and south-east Asia has gained momentum. The most visible warriors in this battle are agricultural biotech companies, who monopolise seed markets, and various Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs). But not so visible is the role played by the US state agencies, such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and state-supported or extramurally funded research institutions in countries targeted by the biotech companies."

Chakraborty said "political instability or turmoil is providing a window of opportunity to these organisations to push through their agenda."

"The decision of the outgoing government of Bangladesh to allow limited commercial cultivation of Bt-Brinjal, just a few months before the general elections, is a case in point. On 29 September, 2013 responding to a public interest litigation, the High Court of Bangladesh directed the government to hold back the release of Bt-Brinjal in the absence of an in-depth assessment of the possible health risks.

“The court ordered the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), agriculture secretary and health secretary to submit a progress report within three months after conducting independent research focusing on the health safety issues in line with the GM food standards set by the Codex Alimentarius commission, an organisation founded by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) (Tribune Report: 2013). These observations were disregarded and permission was granted to the BARI on 29 October, 2013 ‒ a day when the nation was paralysed by a 72 hour strike called by the major opposition party."

Bangladesh becomes the first country in South Asia to allow the cultivation of transgenic Bt-Brinjal. The Sheikh Hasina government cleared limited scale cultivation, with some conditions, of four varieties of GM eggplant for four different agro-climatic zones, all bordering different Indian states.

Chakraborty's main worry is that the Bt-Brinjal from Bangladesh will make its way into India through porous borders.

"The borders between Bangladesh and India are not impermeable; in addition to the seeds slipping in illegally, the birds, insects, rivers and wind ‒who do not observe political borders‒ could also lead to gene contamination, making the moratorium in India practically redundant. If we are not alert to this risk of gene flow and contamination, sooner or later, this may even be cited as a reason for demanding environmental release of Bt-Brinjal in India, as it happened with Bt-Cotton in the past," he writes in the EPW article.

Indian protests

The development of Bt-Brinjal was primarily carried out by Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco) – partly-owned by the US-based corporation Monsanto. The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on 14 October, 2009 declared Bt-Brinjal to be safe for 'environmental release'.

However, the proposed introduction of the first genetically modified vegetable generated a fierce debate in India. “Public consultations” with stakeholders were organised by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad in seven Indian cities, at the behest of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, to discuss the pros and cons of the commercialisation of Bt- Brinjal.

This, Chakraborty describes as an "example of democratic decision-making", because about 6,000 participants debated these issues in public meetings.

In addition to its impact on human health and biodiversity, issues such as appropriate method of pest management, economy and livelihood of farming community and a whole gamut of approval and regulatory processes were discussed.

Finally, a moratorium was placed from 9 February, 2010 on Bt-Brinjal cultivation. It was a major setback for Mahyco and Monsanto.

Chakraborty says that after a moratorium was declared in India, Mahyco tried its luck in Philippines and facing another road block, shifted its efforts to capture markets in Bangladesh.

India was initially nurtured and chosen as the preferred destination for releasing Bt-Brinjal, which contains genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that produces an insecticidal toxin, due to its vast market and weak agricultural economy, says Chakraborty.

"GM seed companies knew that if India somehow succumbed to Bt-Brinjal, then global doors will be opened to the GM food crop. Although Mahyco and Monsanto were in the forefront, the programme to develop genetically engineered crops and promote their commercialisation was supported by 'the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II', a USAID-funded consortium of public and private sector institutions managed by Cornell University”.

Monsanto and USAID, operating side by side, gradually created a support group among plant scientists, netted apex agricultural research institutes through generous funding and buttressed some top political leaders, says Chakraborty.

This operation has been going on since the mid-90s. Wikileaks has shown the extent of the US political pressure on India to allow the commercialisation of Bt-Brinjal."

"But despite all these efforts, vehement protests at the grass root level and divided opinion expressed by the experts together with CEE intervention led to an indefinite moratorium."

PM Manmohan Singh sided with Monsanto and tried to lift the ban but failed, Chakraborty alleged.

The Science and Technology portfolio changed hand many times in the last four years, but thanks to public protests and alertness, the ban on Bt-Brinjal cultivation has stayed. A joint parliamentary committee and a competent technical expert committee (TEC) appointed by the Supreme Court of India recommended an indefinite moratorium on field trials of Bt-transgenics.

Chakraborty's fears

Now Tushar Chakraborty fears that the Bangladesh decision may end up undoing the moratorium on Bt-Brinjal in India.

In Bangladesh, a NGO named UBINIG, responsible for the establishment of one of the biggest community seed banks in the country, is at the forefront of anti-Bt-Brinjal protests.

According to its director Farida Akhter, the main argument used by the GM lobby was that the crop loss caused by the shoot and fruit borer, a common pest, was between 50 to 70% yearly.

Though field research has proved that this figure is quite arbitrary and inflated, the BARI used this argument to lobby for Bt-Brinjal.

If cultivation on full-scale is permitted, then this will allow the Monsanto and its associates to use hundreds of local varieties of brinjal to develop the GM food crop and then patent it.

This will amount to bio-piracy.

Akhtar alleged that to carry out this operation, the USAID influenced the ruling parties to table a bill called 'National Institute of Biotechnology Bill-2010' in the Bangladesh Parliament.

If the bill becomes an act then the National Institute of Biotechnology is going to be an authority to set standards for highly controversial genetically modified (GM) crops and foods in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh grows several native varieties of brinjal.

"As the vegetable is largely cross-pollinated, transgenic contamination poses a big problem in protecting the natural biodiversity as well as local varieties of brinjal. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety recognises the importance of protecting centres of origin and centres of genetic diversity. Bangladesh, as a party to the Cartagena Protocol and a centre of origin and diversity of brinjal, should therefore be cautious and not approve commercialisation of genetically engineered variety of brinjal," Chakraborty warns.