Pushpa M. Bhargava, former Vice-Chairman of National Knowledge Commission, has defended the recommendations of the technical committee, appointed by the Supreme Court, which called for a moratorium on the field trials of genetically modified crops.

“The recommendations are in consonance with the increasing evidence and awareness in the two American continents where over 90 per cent of the world’s GM crops are grown that the increasing health problems in these countries may be related to consumption of GM food,” he said in a letter to the Prime Minister.

In an article appended to the letter, the former director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), he criticised the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM) for hiding certain facts about the extent of GM crops and their efficacy.

“Of about 200 UN member countries, only 20 countries grow GM crops. About 84 per cent of the crops (total area 160 million hectares) of the crops are grown in just in five countries. The European Union doesn’t permit growing GM crops for human consumption,” he said.

He said California (the US) is going to vote in November, on a proposal for appropriately labelling GMOs. He also found fault with the SAC for not taking into cognizance of large-scale suicides by cotton farmers. “The yields have fallen in the last few years and the bollworm has developed resistance (to the technology),” he said.

Meanwhile, farmers unions and non-governmental organisations across the country also have backed the Supreme Court Committee’s recommendations and demanded immediate halt to all field trials, conforming to the suggested moratorium.

Representatives of Coalition for GM-Free India, Rythu Swarjya Vedika, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Chetana Society have issued separate statements, backing the committee’s report.

Incidentally, the Supreme Court will continue hearing on the public interest litigation on GMOs on Monday.

kurmanath.kanchi@

thehindu.co.in

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