SC will hear petition on Friday; comments invited by environment ministry have to be vetted
Even
though transgenic mustard (GM mustard) may have been declared safe by a
government sub-committee, it may yet remain in the can for an
indefinite period.
On Friday, the Supreme Court is expected to
hear a petition by anti-GMO (genetically modified organism) campaigner
Aruna Rodrigues, who argues that the Centre’s preliminary clearance to
GM mustard, named Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11), contravenes a 2013
report by a Supreme Court-appointed technical expert committee.
This
committee had said, among other things, that herbicide-tolerant crops
ought not be permitted in India. One of the genes in DMH-11, developed
by researchers at the Delhi University under a publicly-funded project,
contains a gene called ‘bar’ that confers herbicide tolerance. This
makes plants resistant to a class of weedicide containing the chemical
glufosinate. Critics say glufosinate is toxic and makes farmers
dependent on certain brands of crop chemicals. “If the court sees merit
in the argument, then this could indefinitely stall GM mustard,” said a
government official closely involved in the GM mustard-appraisal
process.
The Supreme Court is yet to pass an order on an older
petition by Rodrigues on whether GM crops ought to be tested at all in
India.
A sub-committee of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal
Committee (GEAC) — India’s regulator of GM crops and an environment
ministry body — said in August that DMH-11 was an effective hybrid and
the ‘bar’ gene’s presence wouldn’t practically affect mustard farmers.
They put up their report on the ministry website for public comments
until October 5. “The process is ongoing… now we have to take a
considered decision,” Environment Minister Anil Dave told The Hindu,
adding “the sowing season is almost over… I don’t see it as being
available this year.”
800 comments received
In a press
statement on Thursday, the Environment Ministry said it had received
about 800 comments from farmers, scientists and non-governmental
organisations. The GEAC would now go through the comments, convene a
full sitting of its members and pass a verdict, and this too will be
vetted by the Environment Minister and possibly the Prime Minister’s
Office, said a person familiar with the procedure.
Mustard is one of India’s most important winter crops and sown between mid-October and late November.
The
technology involves using a complex set of genes, sourced from soil
bacterium, which makes it easier for seed developers to develop hybrid
varieties of mustard, generally a self-pollinating plant. The
technology, its proponents aver, will contribute to increasing yields of
such hybrids by 25 per cent when compared with existing varieties. Its
detractors contend that the GM seeds so produced aren’t substantially
better than existing mustard varieties, and that seed developers and
biotechnology regulators have colluded to “push” GM mustard.
Agriculture
is a State subject in India, which means that even if a central
regulator were to deem a plant as ‘safe’, it would need to be cleared by
State authorities.