Indians resists genetically engineered crops

Summary (1 dec 1998)

The two messages below illustrate the present situation in India.

The first message is from the Research Foundation for Science,Technology and Ecology that leads an a "Quit India" campaign against Monsanto, the only biotechnology company so far that has tried to establish GE crops in India.  The second message is from the Karnataka State Farmers Association that has burnt GE crop field trial sites.

Most alarming is the attempts of the company to circumvent existing laws and that they have made a farmer grow GE crops without knowing that they are genetically engineered. Thereby they have promoted uncontrolled spread of GE genes which is against law.

If such irresponsible practice is representative of the company's policy, there are serious reasons to expect uncontrolled releases in developing countries. This is especially serious as in these countries there are often several wild relatives to the crops. These wild relatives have been gene sources for breeders and several new breeds have been created from them. With uncontrolled GE crop releases, there is a considerable risk for irreversible genetic pollution of this invaluable biodiversity source (but also with "controlled" releases, there are risks of genetic pollution as the spread of seeds and pollen cannot commonly be safely mastered).

This has enraged the Indian groups working on agriculture and environment. They have formed a national network calling on the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Science and Technology to

a) ban on all genetic engineering trials
b) change the Biosafety regulations to ensure people's participation in decisions about genetic engineering including public hearings in Gram Sabhas before trials
c) five year moratorium on all commercial releases and total ban on import of genetic engineered foods and crops including a ban on imports of genetically engineered soya from U.S. allowed through free imports announced on 27 August 1998.

1. MONSANTO, "QUIT INDIA" CAMPAIGN

UPDATE

12 November 1998

1. The "Monsanto Quit India" Campaign was launched on Quit India Day 9th August 1998, the anniversary of the day when Gandhi told the British to Quit India. 10,000 citizens from across India sent the Quit India message to Monsanto Headquarters in India.

2. The "Monsanto Quit India" Campaign was launched in response to a) the purchase of MAHYCO, the largest Indian seed company by Monsanto in May 1998 b) the take over by Monsanto of a lab in India's premier research institute, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. (Ref: "Monsanto's Expanding Empire", Bija Newsletter, RFSTE, New Delhi, Double Issue No.21 & 22, 1998)

3. On 27th August 98, the Government announced the free import of soya bean and on 6th October 98, the Women's Food Rights Campaign had a protest against force feeding of Indians with genetically engineered soya.

4. On 16th November news broke of trials being carried out by Monsanto on Bt-cotton without permission of regional governments and without consent of local communities.

5. On 24th November, the locations of the trials at Maladahalli (Sindhanur Taluk, Raichur) Ramkhar (Gagarilsommananahalli Taluk, Bellary) and Adur (Hanagal Taluk, Kaveri) in the fields of Mr. Basappa J Hunsole, Mr. V.V. Nanjundappa, Mr. Mahalingappa and Mr.Shankarikoppa were made public and the Government of Karnataka announced the establishment of a committee to investigate the trials.

6. On 28th November, an alliance of farmers organisations including the BJP's Kisan Morcha and the KRRS burnt the crop of Monsanto's Bt-cotton trials in the field owned by Mr. Basappa Hunsole in village Maladahalli, Sindhanur taluk in Raichur.

7. A national network of groups working on agriculture and environment have intensified the campaign against Monsanto and against genetic engineering in agriculture and are calling on the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Science and Technology to

a) ban on all genetic engineering trials

b) change the Biosafety regulations to ensure people's participation in decisions about genetic engineering including public hearings in Gram Sabhas before trials

c) five year moratorium on all commercial releases and total ban on import of genetic engineered foods and crops including a ban on imports of genetically engineered soya from U.S. allowed through free imports announced on 27 August 1998.

National Campaign Secretariat:

Research Foundation for Science,Technology and Ecology A-60, Hauz Khas New Delhi - 110 016 Tel: 6968077 & 6853772 Fax: 6856795 Email: vshiva@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in

2. GE - First Monsanto field burned in Karnataka

(Excerpt of the message)

Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha (KRRS)
Karnataka State Farmers Association

Monsanto's Cremation Starts in Karnataka

Sindhanoor, India, 28 November 1998.

- Today the farmers of Karnataka will reduce to ashes one of the illegal field trials that the criminal organisation Monsanto is carrying out in the country. This action will mark the beginning of a campaign of civil disobedience called Operation 'Cremation Monsanto', which will soon be continued in Karnataka and other Indian states.

The field that will be burned today belongs to Basanna, who came to know what kind of plants were growing in his field only last Wednesday, when Byre Gowda (Minister of Agriculture of Karnataka) mentioned his name as he disclosed the three sites where Monsanto's trials are being conducted in Karnataka.

According to Basanna's testimony, officials of Mahyco Monsanto went to his farm in July and proposed him to grow, free of cost, a new variety of cotton seeds, which they claimed would give very good results. He could not suspect that their intention was to carry out an experiment on genetic engineering without his knowledge and consent, risking the future viability not only of his farm, but of his complete community.

The officials of Mahyco Monsanto, who have signed a written declaration admitting their illegal behaviour, went regularly to apply manure and pesticides to the Bt cotton, including heavy doses of insecticides. However, the plants are infested with bollworm (the pest that Bt cotton is supposed to control) and other pests like white fly and red-rot. Despite the heavy use of chemical fertiliser, traces of which still can be observed in the field, the Bt plants grew miserably, less than half the size of the traditional cotton plants in the adjecent fields.

No single biosafety measure (e.g. buffer zone around the genetically engineered cotton to reduce biopollution, construction of a fence around the field, etc) was undertaken by the Mahyco Monsanto. They did not even demarcate the field as biohazard area.