Maharashtra Civil Disobedience Movement - GM Crops

What it is the issue?

Over 1,000 farmers recently participated in a ‘civil disobedience’ movement in Akoli Jahagir village in Akola district of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.
The defying of GM crops ban necessitates a quick and well-thought-out decision by the Central government on GM crops.

What was the move on?

The carrying, storing, selling or sowing of banned GM crops invites a Rs. 1-lakh fine and 5 years’ imprisonment.
But farmers outrightly defied the ban to cultivate HTBT (herbicide tolerant Bt) cotton and Bt brinjal.
They sowed genetically modified HTBT cotton on a 2-acre plot owned by a local farmer as a form of protest against the ban.
The police were present on the occasion, but they did not take any action against the farmers.
Farmers’ body Shetkari Sanghatana has decided to take the movement across the State.
They feel that the ban on GM crops was unfair on farmers who are reeling under poverty.
They also say that so far, no transgenic crop has been found to do any environmental harm.
They maintain that vested interests were opposing the use of Bt cotton and Bt brinjal.

What does this imply?

Farmers’ move has confirmed that the variety, which is unaffected by applications of the controversial weedicide glyphosate, is being grown in cotton-producing areas.
In 2001 too, Hyderabad-based Navbharat Seeds distributed illegal Bt cotton seeds in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
It arguably put the Centre under pressure to legalise Bt cotton, produced by Mahyco-Monsanto.
It has also come to light that Bt brinjal is being illegally cultivated in Haryana.
All these indicate that farmers are largely willing to adopt technologies that offer promising and cost-effective solutions to pest attacks.

How has the issue evolved?

A decision on Bt brinjal has been on hold for nearly a decade.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee cleared Bt brinjal in 2009.
But the Ministry of Environment held back its clearance, citing a lack of scientific consensus.
In the meantime, Bt brinjal grown in Bangladesh in particular has found its way into the Indian market.
Meanwhile, slow progress on approval in the government side has led to farmers undertaking illegal cultivation of GM crops.
On the other hand, activists and academics in the anti-GM camp have pointed ‘quasi-official’ leaks of GM varieties.

What are the larger concerns?

Breach of law - There is a scientific procedure to be followed for releasing new seeds for cultivation.
Farmers had not only broken the law but also made the country breach international biosafety conventions such as the Cartagena Protocol.
On the other hand, farmers resorted to such a drastic step as little is being done to save their crops from pests and pathogens.
Slow decision-Making - The environmental and health debate on GM varieties has been going on without any resolution in sight.
So, the Centre has avoided a decision on genetically modified varieties of brinjal, mustard and HTBT (herbicide tolerant Bt cotton).
The slow decision-making process by the government is costing farmers very dearly.
The prevailing uncertainty has affected both the producers and the consumers.

What is the way forward?

There can be no dismissing the concerns worldwide over the health effects of glyphosate.
However, in trying to curtail its use, farmers’ issues of rising pest attacks, in the context of drought and climate change, too need to be addressed.
Apparently, while Bt cotton strains have multiplied the yields, the benefits have declined with pests attack.
In all, the Centre needs to decide fast.

The Centre should adopt an open, consultative process so that producers' and consumers' interests are well served.
The issue of conserving traditional varieties as well as monitoring carcinogenic effects, if any, should be entrusted to public agencies.
Income support could help subsidise the cost of manual labour in carrying out weeding operations.
Meanwhile, public-funded R&D should take the lead in producing harmless alternatives.

Source: Business Line

Quick Facts

Glyphosate

Glyphosate is an herbicide that is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses.
The sodium salt form of glyphosate is used to regulate plant growth and ripen specific crops.
Glyphosate stops a specific enzyme pathway, the shikimic acid pathway that is necessary for plants and some microorganisms.
Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, as it will kill most plants, preventing them from making certain proteins that are needed for plant growth.
Humans can be exposed to glyphosate if they get it on skin, in eyes or breathe it in when using it.
Humans might also swallow some glyphosate if they eat or smoke after applying it without washing hands.
Exposure may also take place by touching plants that are still wet with spray as Glyphosate is not likely to vaporize after it is sprayed.
Glyphosate is said to be carcinogenic, but this is highly debated.
Glyphosate binds tightly to soil; it can persist in soil for up to 6 months depending on the climate and soil type. So it is not likely to get into groundwater.
Glyphosate may affect fish and wildlife indirectly because killing the plants alters the animals' habitat.

HT Bt Cotton

Herbicide Tolerant Bt cotton in an innovation in the Bt cotton.
It offers the twin advantage of bollworm resistance and herbicide tolerance.
In comparison, the approved Bt variety (Bollgard I and Bollgard II) is only bollworm-resistant.
It takes care of the weeds problem at a much lower cost than the labour farmers engaging for weeding.

GEAC

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) functions in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
It operates as per the Rules, 1989, under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
It is responsible for appraisal of proposals relating to release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and products into the environment including experimental field trials.
It applies to large scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environmental angle.