The Hindu Business Line : Rice exporters join anti-GM bandwagon

Row over rice
`Objection to GM rice is purely on practical grounds'
Mahyco planning Bt-rice trials in seven States
In 2005-06, rice exports fetched Rs 7,174 cr

New Delhi , Oct. 31

Opposition to introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops into the country has so far been confined mostly to green groups and assorted farmer organisations. But now, the Rs 7,000 crore-plus rice exporting industry has joined the `no-to-GM' bandwagon.

Tuesday saw an unusual press conference where representatives of the All-India Rice Exporters' Association (AIREA) rubbed shoulders with activists from Greenpeace and the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU).

Their common agenda: to stop the ongoing contained field research trials of Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company's (Mahyco) Bt-rice at 10 locations across seven States.

"Our objection to GM rice is not ideological. It is purely on practical grounds," said Mr Gurnam Arora, Joint Managing Director of Kohinoor Foods Ltd.

This, in turn, was linked to Europe being a huge market for Indian rice, particularly basmati, and the fierce consumer resistance to GM foods there.

"It may be scientifically true that rice is a naturally self-pollinating crop and there is little possibility of our regular basmati or long-grain rice getting contaminated by GM rice," said Mr R.S. Seshadri, Director of Tilda Riceland Ltd, the country's top basmati exporter to the European Union.

"But when it comes to the consumer, perception is all that counts. Our strong point so far has been that the rice we export is completely GM-free and we should be very careful not to raise even an iota of doubt in the consumer's mind."

According to him, the issue is important after a European consignment of Riceland Foods - the world's largest miller, handling a third of the total US rice produce - was detected with 0.6 per cent GM rice contamination in January 2006.

This was subsequently confirmed by the US Department of Agriculture in an advisory to the EU on August 18. The contamination was from GM rice varieties Liberty Link-601 and 602, developed by Bayer CropScience.

"For just six rogue grains in 10,000, the EU and even Russia have stopped all imports of rice from the US, while Bayer is being sued by farmers. The world's biggest rice importer, Ebro Puleva, has stopped trading in US-grown rice, with retail chains such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer also following suit. Why take such risks?" said Mr Seshadri.

In 2005-06, the country exported 5.06 million tonnes of rice valued at Rs 7,174 crore.

Mahyco's GM rice contains alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringensis to confer resistance against the dreaded brown plant hopper insect pest.

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