Vishwa Mohan & Dipak K Dash | TNN | NEW DELHI: A technical agency of the central government has ruled the consumption of genetically modified (GM) mustard "safe for human and animal health", adding that it "does not pose any threat" to biodiversity.

 

The environment ministry posted the report on its website on Monday, asking for comments from the public before Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) takes the final decision on GM mustard. Comments can be submitted till October 5. The GEAC grants approval for GM products' release into the environment.

NEW DELHI, Even as genetically-modified mustard came a step closer to becoming the first food crop in India to be approved for commercial production after a panel of scientists said it poses no risk to humans, civil society organisations have demanded that the Centre put up the full bio-safety data — and not just the assessment report — on the crop in the public domain to make the feedback process meaningful and scientific.

 

The oilseed does not raise any public health or safety concerns on human beings and animals with respect to overall nutritional characteristics, the panel said in a document posted on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Changes website. It is highly unlikely to invade natural ecosystems and poses a negligible risk to biodiversity and agriculture productivity, it said. The oilseed has been developed by the University of Delhi since 2003.

Kavitha, हरियाणा के 15 जिलों के प्रबुद्ध नागरिकों, कृषि वैज्ञानिकों, किसान संगठनों एवं उपभोक्ताओं ने हरियाणा के मुख्य मंत्री और कृषि मंत्री को भेजे ज्ञापन में उनसे अपील की है कि वे यह सुनिश्चित करें की किसानों और उपभोक्ताओं पर जीएम सरसों न थोपी जाय। पिछले कुछ वर्षों से हरियाणा ने जीएम फसलों को परीक्षण हेतु भी राज्य में लगाने की अनुमति नहीं दी है परंतु अगर जीएम सरसों का बीज एक बार बाज़ार में आ जाता है तो हरियाणा सरकार की जीएम को बढ़ावा न देने की नीति प्रभावहीन हो जाएगी। उपभोक्ता के पास भी जीएम सरसों और गैर-जीएम सरसों के बीच चुनाव करने का कोई मौका नहीं रहेगा क्योंकि दोनों को अलग अलग रखना असंभव है। जैविक किसानों के लिए तो जीएम सरसों के अनुमोदन का अर्थ होगा जैविक किसानी की तत्काल निर्मम हत्या क्योंकि भारत सहित पूरी दुनिया में जैविक खेती में जीएम फ़सलों के प्रयोग पर कानूनन रोक है। परन्तु एक बार जीएम बीज पर्यावरण में फैलने के बाद जैविक किसानों का इस से बच पाना नामुमकिन है। जब पड़ोस में जीएम फ़सलों को बोया जा रहा हो तो कानूनी रूप से भी और वास्तव में भी जैविक खेती संभव नहीं है क्योंकि इन जीएम फ़सलों द्वारा अन्य क़िस्मों का सम्मिश्रण/प्रदूषण अवश्यंभावी है।

Reuters | New Delhi, This is seen critical to Modi's goal of attaining self-sufficiency in edible oils as currently govt spends arounf $12 bn annually on vegetable oil imports

 

The government will soon make public its stance on allowing the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard — what could be its first transgenic food crop - and “ideology” will not influence the decision, a minister said.

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party, which has ex­pressed its op­po­si­tion to ge­net­i­cally mod­i­fied (GM) crops, on Thurs­day said that it would make a coali­tion of like­minded states to build pres­sure on the Cen­tre to with­draw its sup­port to GM crops.

 

Since there is very lit­tle agri­cul­tural ac­tiv­ity in Delhi, AAP seems to have taken this stand on GM crops with fo­cus on Pun­jab, where it is con­test­ing elec­tions in 2017.

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said he will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard.

 

"I will write to the Prime Minister urging him not to allow the cultivation of GM mustard which is not good for the environment as well as mankind," he said after meeting a national level delegation of farmers from Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) in Patna.

 

The delegation sought a ban on GM mustard farming. The Chief Minister told the delegation that Bihar has been promoting organic farming on a large-scale.

Kavitha, Meeting a delegation of Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) on the issue of GM mustard, Bihar Chief Minister Sh Nitish Kumar assured the group of his active intervention on this matter of urgent concern. He promised that he would write to the Prime Minister on the subject explaining why GM mustard should not be approved by the Centre. “Bt cotton experience in India has clearly shown that Genetic Modification is a failed technology. Then why should this technology be now cleared for Mustard, a food crop?”, he asked. He further elaborated and said that GM technology in Cotton was introduced to protect it from Bollworm but the pest is now resistant to Bt toxin, and farmers are using large amounts of chemical pesticides on Bt cotton. “We are promoting organic farming in the state of Bihar and GM cultivation will not be allowed here”, he said.

Kavitha, Delegation of organic farmers from Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan meets Union Agriculture Minister and appeals for immediate hold on release of GM Mustard

 

Under the aegis of Organic Farmers’ Association of India (OFAI) a delegation today (September 1, 2016) called upon the Union Minister of Agriculture, Sh Radha Mohan Singh and presented him with bottles of cold pressed oil of their own organic mustard along with a note that if he wishes to be able to use it in future too then his government must immediately put on hold the approval of GM mustard.

Kavitha, DELHI CM KEJRIWAL GETS A UNIQUE GIFT FROM CITIZENS FIGHTING GM MUSTARD: CITIZENS URGE HIM TO ACT PROACTIVELY TO STOP GM MUSTARD FROM INVADING THEIR FOOD

 

New Delhi, Braving heavy downpour, a group of citizens landed at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s office today, urging him to proactively intervene in the matter of GM mustard which the Government of India’s regulators are considering for approval. If approved, this would be the first time that a Genetically Modified food crop would have been allowed for commercial cultivation in India. This GM mustard has been created with 3 bacterial genes inserted unnaturally and there is controversy around its safety and its very need. The citizens’ group gifted Kejriwal with non-toxic organic mustard oil, to gently point out that if he does not intervene in the matter now along with other key political leaders and state governments, this could be his last chance to consume non-GM, safe mustard oil. The citizens pointed out that consumers’ right to informed choices will be infringed upon if GM mustard is approved by the Centre.

Rosamma Thomas | TNN

 

JAIPUR: Field trials of GM mustard are complete and an application from Delhi University's Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants is pending before the government. If approved, GM mustard will become the first genetically modified food crop to be grown commercially in the country.

 

Rajasthan is the country's top mustard producing state. In 2010-11, of the 48,38,258 hectares under mustard cultivation in the country, 24,84,307 was in Rajasthan. Over 40% of the total mustard produced in India comes from Rajasthan.