Anti-genetically modified (GM) food groups on Wednesday announced a campaign against the Government’s move to promote GM bananas to “save Indian women from anaemia”. 

As part of the campaign, an online petition opposing the move has been initiated by Navdanya, Mahila Anna Swaraj, Diverse Women for Diversity, Initiative for Health & Equity in Society, Guild of Services, Save Honey Bees Campaign etc. 

At a press conference here on Wednesday, Navdanya founder, Vandana Shiva, even questioned the credibility of James Dale of Queensland University, who was being funded by Gates Foundation for “innovation” in GM bananas. India’s Department of Biotechnology has signed an agreement with Queensland University for research and field trials over the next four-five years and launch the GM bananas within 6-10 years.

 

“Dr Dale does not have a single paper related to iron fortification of bananas. This work has been done by the Bhabha Atomic Research Team. (Gujulla B Sunil Kumar & Lingam Srinivas & Thumballi Ramabhatta Ganapathi),” she said in a release.

 

Pitching for Indian solutions to anaemia that leads to child-birth deaths in India, Shiva said “Bananas are rich in nutrition but have only 0.44mg of iron per 100 gram of edible portion,” she said. 

But, according to the BARC scientists, they can achieve a six-fold increase in iron content in GMO bananas. This makes it 2.6mg, which is 3,000 per cent less than iron in turmeric, or niger, or lotus stem, 2000 per cent less than amchur (mango powder), she said and added that safe, biodiverse alternatives were multi-fold in India. 

Shiva said Indian taxpayer money was also funding this project, which was “a waste of money and time”. The National Banana Research Centre, while conserving 200 varieties, has already put the development of GMO bananas in its Vision Document 2030 she said.

 

“The solution to malnutrition lies in growing nutrition,” such as iron-rich plants, she added.

 

aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

Related Topics