Joining ranks with nearly ten other big states, Gujarat government has now decided not to allow field trials of any Genetically Modified (GM) food crops within its boundaries. The decision is a significant one as it comes from the home state of prime minister Narendra Modi which he was leading till few months ago.
Now with Gujarat also saying no to field trials of GM crops, Maharashtra remains the only state where field trials are undergoing.
The NDA government under Modi in July 2014 had stopped field trials of 15 GM crops which were given a go-ahead by Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Union environment ministry on opposition from two wings of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh — Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. However, ministers in NDA government have given enough indications of favouring GM crops during their public appearances even if they have not said it officially.
The decision by Gujarat government was revealed in a letter to one Kapil Shah of Jatan Trust who had written to Gujarat government's agriculture minister on the issue. The letter by Gujarat government to Shah said stated that following deliberations on requests seeking NOC (No Objection certificate) for GM crops field trails, "a decision has been taken to not grant NOC for food crops".
But as per the letter from the Gujarat government's department of agriculture and co-operation, NOC could be given to non-food grain crops like cotton.
"It is a welcome and a very responsible decision. With their decision, Gujarat government joins 10 other states. It is actually a big-big decision with a national and international impact," Kapil Shah told dna.
The NOC is a statutory requirement from the state governments for conducting open air trials. With this, Gujarat joins other states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana who have denied permissions for field trials of GM crops.
Shah, whose organisation Jatan has been working for the promotion of ecological farming in Gujarat has repeatedly raised concerns on the open air experiments of risky GM crops. He is also a member of the newly constituted committee of Gujarat government to draft the organic farming policy.
"It is a great relief for farmers and consumers of the state given that there is growing evidence on the adverse impacts of GM crops on human health, environment as well as farm livelihoods. Any open trials could become a potential source of contamination of our food and seed supply," Shah said.
At present in India, government has only allowed commercial use of Bt Cotton which is grown in over 10 million hectares across the country. Since March 2014 GEAC has cleared 60 proposals of field trials of GM crops involving GM varieties of rice, wheat, maize, cotton, brinjal, mustard, potato, sugarcane and chickpea across the country.
Open field trials of GM crops has been a contentious issue in India in the past several years. Apart from opposition from farmers and activists, a parliamentary standing committee has also warned against it.
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