The National Biodiversity Authority has filed the country’s first ever bio-piracy criminal case against US agrochemicals giant Monsanto and its Indian partner Mahyco on the Bt brinjal issue in a Karnataka Court.

“The court has taken cognisance and is expected to issue summons (to Mayco) soon,” Dr Balakrishna Pisupati, chairman of the authority, said.

This is seen as an attempt by the authority to raise the levels of compliance with the Biological Diversity Act by biotechnology and pharma sectors. Companies seeking to make commercial use of domestic biological resources have to take approval from the authority and comply with the benefit-sharing norms.

The developers of Bt Brinjal have been accused of using local brinjal varieties for development without taking necessary approvals, which was in violation of the Act.

It has been alleged that the US agro giant and its collaborators had accessed at least 16 local varieties of the vegetable in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other States to develop the genetically modified variety.

Balakrishna, on Tuesday, used the on-going BioAsia meet to further sensitise the industry in regard to the need to raise the compliance levels so that the local communities and resources get the benefits.

He had a meeting with the CEOs of some of the participating companies in this regard.

The authority had, so far, received 700 applications from Indian and foreign companies across sectors such as seed, pharma and biotechnology for access to biological resources, benefit sharing and third party transfer.

amitmitra@thehindu.co.in

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW