A farmer posing with organic brinjal (Pic: Divya Sharma)

Brinjal or eggplant is a low cost and versatile vegetable, believed to have 1200 varieties worldwide. It is native to India and Malaysia. “There are around 100 types of brinjal grown in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Orissa. For example, there is one particular type, normally grown in Shimoga district where each brinjal weighs above 2 kilo gram,” informs Krishna Prasad, from the organic farming group Sahaja Samrudhdha.

“Scientists must not stay aloof from the actual farms and come out with new research,” adds Krishna Prasad. “Let such research come from ‘lab to land’.”  He feels farmers are better at cross-breeding and knowledge of crop diversity. Scientists must make use of their practical experience. Research should be farmer-centric. Then they can do wonders with food crops, without the need for gene-technologies, “Why are no such efforts happening?” he questions. 

GM brinjal or Bt brinjal developed by Mayhco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company) is now ready, with field trials done and waiting for its commercial release. Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium that attacks pests. The genetically modified brinjal contains genes from this bacterium that helps it withstand attack from certain pests.

After brinjal, what comes next? About 50 other varieties of food crops are undergoing field trials. These include rice, corn, mustard and several vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, okra, et cetera. Already field trials are going on for these.

This writer tried to reach scientists from the University of Agricultural Science, Bangalore (UAS). According to Dr. Ramanjini Gowda, a professor at UAS, resource people are instructed not to talk to media on this matter. Officials at the multinational biotech company, Monsanto, which partly owns Mayhco were not reachable for comment.

Why mess with nature’s ways?

The weeds could become resistant to the herbicides, is the worry of a farmer from Mandya district. He  further wonders about other birds/insects which feed on the weeds or on the crop itself. Will the modified genes from one plant get transferred to other organisms? What if cross-pollination happens? “Nature’s ways are subtle and intricate. Why meddle with it?” he asks.

“South Asia region has a rich agricultural history, with practices and a system that has stood the test of time,” explains P Srinivas, an organic farming specialist and an author of several books on the subject, including “Panchagavya”.  He adds that just like people, agriculture varies from place to place, depending on soil varieties and environmental or climatic factors. Where does this one-formula-for-all technology fit in? It simply does not make sense. “And think of the plentiful varieties of [each] species we are going to lose!” he exclaims, all the talk about GM food being economical is an eye wash. Not only India, GM food is simply not suited to any country, is his viewpoint.

Careful use

As with any other technology with potential, this too has pros and cons, is the stance of Vasanth Kumar, Director of Horticulture, under the state ministry of agriculture and horticultural sciences. “Like atomic energy, we need to be very very careful with the usage of this technology, since it can come up with mind-boggling possibilities,” he states. He further says that with this know-how, we are able to make rare vaccines, which were made from animal sources before. But, when it comes to food- our fundamental necessity, we need to be extra conscientious. The private companies’ purview does not include the detailed study of the side effects. “We need to be open minded and focus on our positives, like improving existing breeds and educating farmers,” is the point of Dr Ramakrishna, Assistant Director, Horticulture.

Gene Technology student Ramyashri S says, "GM food’s advantages sound good. We cannot simply turn our backs to it. It is important to have further unbiased studies to assess the latent risks." What is worrying activists and farmers is the hurry with which our government seems to be taking on GM technology, when around 180 countries in the world do not allow it. The film ‘Poison on the Platter’ shows that most of the imported food from USA has genetically modified content in it and it is simply not labelled; it is available in the malls across the country, while the government claims GM food is not available in the market.

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