Unproved questions on Bt brinjal

The commercialization of Bt brinjal may pose threat to human safety and environment. We need experimental proofs for all doubts on Bt brinjal and not answer to selected aspects. The government should not brush aside experimentally unproved aspects. Further brinjal is not a staple food crop like rice and wheat, a delay in which may lead to famine. Human safety: Regarding human safety, long term studies are needed to assess the effects of mutant products of cry2Ab and cry1AC Bt genes. Today, it is claimed that Bt brinjal is safe in animal models. In due course, over a decade or so the Bt genes or their receptors may mutate; in that case what would be the effect of mutants on human health in future? We have the technology to produce the mutants that can be tested in the lab. The animal studies would give only preliminary information and extrapolating this to humans would be risky. Before testing on humans, how can we harp that Bt is safe for humans. The proponents of Bt brinjal appear to be enthusiastic to push this for approval and they will be too glad to be lab rats to test on them. They say that USA is way forward in using this product of biotechnology. We followed America during the green revolution. Of course, we have produced more, and prevented starvation. But we also ended up with spoiled earth and genetic disorders and increased incidence of cancer. On human safety, we should take lessons from the Thalidomide tragedy of the sixties. Thalidomide, a tranquilizer and pain killer was found to be safe at that point of time of release for human use. Years later, scientists were perplexed to see the birth of thousands of deformed babies to women who took this medicine. This is obviously because of inadequate trials of this drug before release. Environmental safety: Before the green revolution, the brinjal borer was not menace. In those days pesticides were not available. The massive emergence of this pest appears to coincide with the use of pesticides. Did the indiscriminate use of pesticides inadvertently wiped out the predators of brinjal borer? Or urbanization trans-located these? Or cocultivation of pungent smelling crops like chilly and tobacco acted as a deterent to the brinjal borer? These are topics for entomologists and environmentalists. Apparently we have created resistant pests as an off shoot of green revolution. Already there are indications of development of resistance for Bt. In lab studies it was found that insects that were resistant to cry2AB protein also were resistant to cry1AC protein of Bt. Once the resistant forms emerge, where do we go? To the cousins of Monsanto? Though Bt brinjal is projected as a boon, studies show that the it is not 100% effective on wiping out the borers. The Bt plants still require chemical pesticides though in lower quantities (Biotech News, December 2009). This means we are introducing one more agent to destroy our environment. We are told that the Bt technology is used

globally. Let them damage their environment. Let us not follow the western path and risk our environment. We should focus on our national needs and save our nation from ecological disasters. Let our biotechnologists develop salt resistant, drought resistant crops that will not be a threat to our ecosystem. We must refrain from creating plants with insecticidal and herbicidal components. Genetically modified plants with herbicidal genes will eradicate the weeds, but we will drive the village women (who are engaged in manual weeding) jobless, starve our cattle (for which the weeds are used as fodders) and wipe out valuable medicinal plants. Seed preservation: Shall we not preserve our indigenous crop varieties so that we can go back to these if the Bt products turn out hazardous at a later time? What is the strategy we have for preserving our traditional varieties? Our ancestors might have sensed catastrophes of our crops and appear to have disaster control measures. At the final stage of building temples, they have placed seeds of nine important crops (nava dhanya) in copper pots (kalasams) that were installed at the top of temple towers out of reach of burglars and insects. It is will be desirable to access the viability of these seeds so that this method can be adopted for seed preservation. The multinational seed companies (MNCs) are pursuing aggressive programs for their seeds through various media. Our farmers would be attracted by these and forget the cultivation of traditional varieties. There is an urgent need to study long term seed preservation strategies because we can go back to these in case our traditional strains disappear. If the Bt brinjal is cultivated by the farmers can they make their own seeds from their crops? Will these seeds be viable in next generation? Or do they have to be perpetually depend on MNCs and their desi brothern who will raise the price once they know the farmers do not have alternatives. Can the government have their own seed banks or encourage the farmers to have their own cooperative seed banks? Alternatives: Nowadays, farmers stay away from farming because of non-profitability. In these days of shrinking farm lands, we have to try eco-friendly green house farming for the production of vegetables like brinjal as done in Europe and Israel. This is not cost effective for farmers unless subsidized by government. Corporate farming has already made inroads in our country in seed production and they can adopt green house farming that do not require pesticides and toxins like Bt. Our biodiversity was rich with indigenous varieties of crops developed with traditional wisdom. We have already lost many of the traditional varieties of rice, wheat and other crops and continue to lose. A recent report in The Hindu of January 21, 2010 has a most suitable title (Traditional wisdom helps develop good, disease-resistant varieties) on the development of indigenous varieties by the farmers. These varieties face threat from two directions - one from scientists who push GM crops and other from MNCs. As lamented by the farmer Jai Prakash Singh, neither the scientists (persumably agri-scientists) nor the government respond enthusiastically to traditional knowledge. Unfortunately the scientists do not have enough time due to their preoccupation with

literature on modern technologies. They appear to recognize farmers only at times of controversies of their inventions since, they suggest the release of Bt brinjal without delay saying farmers would provide the answer!