Karnataka to ban Bt brinjal

Bowing down to strong resistance from the farmers, public horticulture minister Umesh Katti on Monday said the state government would impose a ban on the commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal in Karnataka.

“We will ban commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal. We have already written to the Centre seeking its deferment,” Katti said.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has already said the Centre would announce its decision on commercial production of the genetically-modified crop on February 10. However, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa has already conveyed to the Centre that its commercial release should be deferred till the issue was thoroughly examined.

He had asked the Centre to take views of all stakeholders into account and conduct a long-term research on the bio-safety of Bt crops and its consequent contribution to food security and farmers’ well-being. Katti’s assurance comes a day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat strongly opposed entry of Bt brinjal in the country.

He termed the crop as “videshi” and sought to equate it with the problem of infiltration from across the border. Karnataka is one of the leading producers of brinjal, which is grown in about 15,000 hectares with an annual production of about 3.6 lakh tonnes.