Expert panel on Bt brinjal to meet on April 27

A newly-constituted expert group will review the moratorium on release of genetically modified or Bt Brinjal on April 27.

The expert group, set by the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, included renowned agricultural scientist Dr M.S. Swaminathan; Prof Madav Gadgil of Bangalore-based Centre for Ecological Sciences; Nagpur-based Central Institute for Cotton Research Director Dr Keshav R Kranthi among the 18 appointed.

However, Dr Swaminathan and Dr Raghavendra Gadagkar of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore expressed their inability to take part in the review.

Mr Jairam Ramesh announced a moratorium on the commercial release of the Bt Brinjal in January 2010. He also asked the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee to stipulate more safeguards to remove fears over Bt brinjal among the public.

Bt brinjal has been derived by injecting a crystal gene Cry1Ac from the soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis. This is supposed to make the brinjal plant resistant to the fruit and shoot borer that is the major cause for damage to the crop.

Though field tests were held and Bt brinjal was approved for commercial cultivation in 2009, a hue and cry was raised over the safety of the transgenic plant. This led to Mr Jairam Ramesh holding public hearings.

Though Bt cotton has been in wide use for nearly 10 years now, Bt brinjal is the first food crop to be considered for commercial cultivation. Meanwhile, the Coalition for a GM-free India has criticised the review meet. In a statement, it said the expert group should look at the very need for Bt brinjal since there were many alternatives to chemical pesticides without resorting to genetically modified crops.

Data on toxicity and biosafety assessment were inadequate, it said and added that the expert panel should reject the biosafety dossier on Bt brinjal totally.

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