Beekeepers from across the country have opposed the government’s proposal to introduce genetically modified (GM) mustard in India on the ground that it could impact production and hit lakhs of livelihoods.

They argue that bee-keeping has been hit in areas where GM cotton (Bt cotton) is grown and the government should first investigate its impact on honey production and pollination before taking a decision on GM mustard.

“About 50-60 per cent of the total production of honey in India is mustard honey. Any permission to GM mustard will jeopardise this sector,” said Yogeshwar Singh from Uttar Pradesh, at a press conference organised by the Confederation of Bee Keeping Industry, on Monday.

Protest planned

Bee keepers’ associations from States such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh as well as honey exporters will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday.

The bee keepers have also appealed to States to intervene immediately and stop approval for its cultivation.

“We urge the government to first investigate the impact of Bt cotton on our enterprise and take stock of the rapid negative changes that have come about,” Singh said.

Giving a contradictory opinion on the issue, the South Asia Biotechnology Centre, a not-for-profit scientific society, in a press release, stated that the health and foraging ability of honey bee populations will not be affected by the pollen of GM mustard.

“GM mustard is likely to have beneficial effects on the honey bee population based on their relatively enhanced foraging behaviour resulting in increasing honey production and income of bee-keepers in mustard growing areas,” the release said.

According to Subhash Kamboj, a bee-keeper from Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, bee-keeping and honey production has nearly come to an end in the areas where Bt cotton is grown in the State. “The local varieties of bees have left the fields as despite promises that one would not need to spray pesticides, farmers have to use it six-eight times to keep off white-flies. Bee cultivation is also not happening. We used to produce as much as 20 kg of honey per box (hive) earlier,” Kamboj said.

Queries on the effect of GM mustard on pollination and nectar have not been satisfactorily answered, pointed out IS Hooda, another bee-keeper from Haryana. “We have been told by the government that there will be no effect of GM mustard on pollination and nectar. But this is not a technical answer. There is no data to support it,” Hooda said.

India’s honey industry has at least 5 lakh bee-keeping families and nearly one million livelihoods and enterprises are directly or indirectly dependent on it, according to industry data. About 90,000 tonnes of honey is produced annually in India of which about 35,000 tonnes is exported, with an estimated value of ₹750 crore.

Safety assessment report

The Environment Ministry has invited comments on a safety assessment report prepared by a subcommittee under the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee which stated that GM mustard technology has been found to be “safe for food/feed and environment.”

Stakeholders have time till October 5 to comment on the report following which the GEAC will take a final decision on approving GM mustard technology.

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