Context of the "I am no Lab rat" Campaign

Genetically Modified (GM) food will soon be grown and sold in India. The Government of India has given green signal to Bt brinjal developed by the seed company Mahyco for large-scale field trials and seed production. This means that this unpredictable new technology will soon be tested on the people. The clearance is facing stiff resistance from farmers, environmentalists and consumers. The nationwide "I am no  lab rat" campaign wants to warn the people and government of India to act before it is too late. The issue of Bt cotton & GE crops is a fight between life and death. Of farming controlled by farmers or colonized by profit-hungry corporations consumer groups across the country, who fear that gm food crops have major health risks.

We have taken up the campaign for Orissa, that is facing the same problem. Bt Cotton is already growing in Orissa and soon Bt Brinjal will be introduced.

Action that is undertaken

GM crops are already growing in Orissa while they are officially forbidden

The state of Orissa in its official policy has not allowed genetically engineered crops. The agriculture minister stated on the floor of the assembly on 22nd June 2006 that he would not allow GM crops into the state. Also the chief minister wants to discourage GM crops in a memo. However, Bt Cotton is being grown in the state since 2004. No punitive action is being taken against the companies who are contravening the law.

Over the past five years there have been significant shifts in the agricultural landscape of Orissa. These are in favour of cotton cultivation. From less than 30,000 hectares in 2002-2003, the area under cotton has expanded to over 63,000 hectares in 2007-2008. In 2007-2011 the state intends to double this figure, according to a paper prepared by the department of agriculture.

Bt Cotton

Bt Cotton is a genetically modified plant. It contains Bt Gene. The Bt gene is taken from soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, it triggers poison within the plant that kills the insect pest at the source. But there is no guarantee that only the pests will be affected. There are possible health dangers associated with the use of GM. Already there have been reports of cattle dying and and people becoming sick after contact with these crops. The Andhra Pradesh government (one of the states in Southern India) has advised farmers not to allow animals to graze on Bt cotton fields after four institutes reported the presence of toxins in them."

A substantial number of farmers are being lured into using Bt cotton seeds to cultivate cotton with the promise of big profits. Most of them are marginal and small farmers.

A recent study by three distinguished researchers* made a comparative study of Bt and non-Bt cotton farmers in Karnataka, a state in Southern India. The study reveals that while the Bt farmers got a marginally higher yield of 10 kg per ha, they earned substantially less. While the gross margin for non-Bt farmers worked out to Rs 10,880 per ha, the margin for Bt farmers was a paltry Rs 1,435 per ha. In other words, non-Bt farmers were earning 7.5 times more than Bt farmers. Where does this leave the myth of the riches BT cotton bestows on Indian farmers?

According to a report published by National Sample Survey Organization, Government of India in 2005 titled "Situation Assessment Survey – Indebtedness of Farmer Households", 47.8% of farmer Households in Orissa are indebted. Of these approximately 75% have less than 1 hectare of land. Bt cotton is responsible for large scale farmer suicides in Vidarbha in Maharastra. Every second cotton farmer who committed suicide in Vidarbha was a Bt farmer.

Officials have turned a blind eye to this by claiming they are helpless in the matter. Little is being done to check this proliferation or to warn farmers about the hazards of Bt cotton.

Bt Brinjal

India is the Centre of Origin for Brinjal or Eggplant. Brinjal has been cultivated in India for the last 4000 years or so and has many historical references in various languages. It is grown all over the country, year-round and is one of the most popular vegetables of India. Brinjal, an eggplant, is widely consumed in India and recognized for its health promoting properties such as reducing serum levels of cholesterol.

The area under cultivation is estimated to be around 5 lakh (1 lakh = 100.000)  hectares. The total production stands at around 82 lakhmetric tonnes. The average yields of Brinjal in India are reported to be around 200 to 350 quintals (1 quintal = 100 lb = 45.3 kg) per hectare. The main growing areas are in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. There are many local varieties in India, in addition to improved varieties and hybrids.

The Indian subsidiary of US seeds corporation Monsanto, Maharashtra Hybrid Seed, has developed genetically modified (GM) brinjal resistant to fruit and shoot borer and has done large scale multi location trials.

The GM brinjal contains the same Cry1Ac toxin from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis as the widely cultivated GM cotton that has been implicated recently in major health controversies in India.

Brinjal enters the human food chain directly. In India it is consumed as a vegetable across social classes. Moreover, the plant is also used in ayurvedic formulations. Any potential adverse health hazards would be lethal and pretty much universal. So when a powerful multinational began to push for the introduction of Bt brinjal, citing its increased resistance to the shoot and fruit borer pest, there was a furore. A question that immediately popped up was why native local and existing high-yielding varieties, which were immensely popular with farmers, didn't get any attention.

The reality

• the current safety assessments are inadequate to catch most of the harmful effects from GM crops. the Indian regulatory regime has never been assessed thoroughly as to whether the right questions are being asked with regard to GM risk assessment in Indian conditions. What guarantee is the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) giving to farmers & consumers that this is indeed safe? What liability-fixing mechanisms exist to hold each individual member of GEAC accountable for these kinds of decisions taken?

• What guarantee is given that consumer rights and choices will be upheld even after the entry of Bt Brinjal? Will labeling work for distinguishing between Bt and non-Bt Brinjal in our markets and haats? What choices are being left to consumers of the country who want to remain GM-free in their consumption and how will their fundamental right to safe food be upheld?

• There is vast experience with Non Pesticidal Management and organic approaches which farmers have been successfully using for years on a large scale. Why is this ignored if they choose Bt Brinjal to reduce pesticide?

• The issue of Bt cotton & GE crops is a fight between life and death. We are on the crossroads between farming that is controlled by farmers or colonized by profit-hungry corporations. Consumer groups across the country fear that gm food crops have major health risks.

Instead of approving more GM crops, the GEAC should start a comprehensive enquiry into the health impacts of Bt cotton and impose a ban on further releases of all GM crops.

Playing with fire in Orissa's farmland

After pesticides - GM Brinjal

Website of the India campaign:

I am no lab rat

A few fundamental questions remain unanswered

• Who has decided, how, where and on what basis that GE is needed for Indian farming?
• Why GE is being preferred to safer, ecological alternatives that are more sustainable, that give more incomes to farmers, that promote self-reliance/esteem?