The Hindu Business Line : GM brinjal

This refers to the editorial “Bt brinjal on trial” (Business Line, May 19). There are certain scientific facts concerning the subject, which are mentioned here. There is a Public Interest Litigation on genetically modified (GM) crops currently before the Supreme Court. In September 2006, the former Chief Justice of India, Mr Sabharval, passed an order that the entire issue of the GM crops should be examined by “competent, knowledgeable and committed independent scientists”.

In response to the above order, an five-member independent expert committee was set up in mid-September 2006. The panel had two leading toxicologists from the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, an eminent entomologist, the former Director of the Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry, a well-known economist, who was a former Dean, and a renowned plant physiologist. The Chairman himself is an international authority on soils and agronomy.

The task of the independent expert committee was to critically examine the data of the field trials on Bt brinjal conducted by the Indian subsidiary of the MNC involved in the propagation of Bt brinjal. The expert committee found several instances where the bio-safety norms, prescribed by the Department of Biotechnology were not followed and recommended that the entire question of Bt brinjal should be re-examined.

Data on field trial results were not properly and statistically analysed. Surprisingly, despite these observations, sporadic trials have been going on in India, in particular in Tamil Nadu. The official report of the committee was submitted to the Supreme Court in mid-October, 2006.

There is no attempt to “torpedo” genuine science. At the same time, one must be very wary when it comes to biotechnology. Whether it be Bt cotton or Bt brinjal, one is playing around with just a single gene.

There is also an enormous lack of knowledge as to what happens in a soil system when a Bt crop is grown.

The comparison between Bt cotton and Bt brinjal is both irrelevant and misconceived. It is well worth remembering that the Bt toxin (originating from the soil-borne bacterium Bacillus thurengiensis) is as potent as the cholera toxin.

Would the brinjal-lovers of India, the crop being one of the most popular vegetables in the country, having originated in the Indian sub continent, risk poisoning the next time they savour the mouth-watering kathirikkai poriyal or baingan ki bharta?

K. P. Prabhakaran Nair e-mail

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