What is Bt Brinjal?

Bt Brinjal is a transgenic brinjal created by inserting a gene

cry1Ac from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into Brinjal.

This is said to give the Brinjal plant resistance against

lepidopteran insects like the Brinjal Fruit and Shoot Borer

Leucinodes orbonalis

SOME REASON FOR WHICH I FEEL IT SHOULD NOT BE PERMITED

1. GM crops are created by the unnatural insertion of foreign genes into host DNA of a plant, which leads to numerous unpredictable changes that are potentially dangerous for health. Bt Brinjal has been artificially created by insertion of a bacterial gene (Bacillus thuringiensis-Bt) to produce a toxin 24X7 inside the Plant which may creat potential danger to health after eating that brinjals.

2ND

2. There are many unaddressed questions with regard to the very need of this Bt Brinjal. The National Agricultural Research System as well as many practicing farmers has a vast knowledge on successful and economically viable pest management without the use of any synthetic pesticides. In the face of such alternatives, it is not clear why the GM option is being pushed. Further, no one can argue that Bt Brinjal would be an answer to the hunger crisis!

3. Health implications of Bt Brinjal—No independent research to prove the safety of Bt Brinjal exists. All decision-making happened based on the crop-developer’s data. This Bt Brinjal also contains anti-biotic resistant genes and poses serious public health concerns with the possibility of ‘horizontal gene transfer for which analyses of the crop developer’s biosafety data concluded that this Bt Brinjal is unsafe and unfit for human consumption.

4. Further, from various studies, GM foods are known to cause allergies, immune system changes, damage to organs like kidneys and liver, affect growth and metabolism and impact reproductive health adversely.

5. If Bt Brinjal is approved, we, as consumers, will have no way of knowing whether the brinjal we consume daily is GM or not, as all brinjals in the market will look the same. This will be a violation of every consumer’s right to know, right to safe food and right to choose which food she/he wants to eat.

Further, labeling cannot be a solution for India where the majority of consumption is of unpackaged foods in the open market and from local mandis.

6. Bt Brinjal has not been assessed for its impact on Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM). Brinjal and related species are used widely in Ayurveda and other medicinal systems. One can hence not predict whether the entry of Bt Brinjal would make ISM medicines/practices ineffective or even toxic!

What are the known features of the brinjal crop in

India?

The brinjal is usually self-pollinated. However, it has been

Reported that the extent of cross-pollination can range from 2%

to as high as 48%. It is thus classified as a cross-pollinated

crop. While the biological structure of the anthers favours self

Pollination, the stigma projects beyond the anthers, thus

Providing ample opportunity for cross-pollination. The genotype,

location, and insect activity further determine the actual rates of

natural cross-pollination.

Pests affecting the brinjal crop include the brinjal fruit and shoot

borer, the brinjal stem borer, the mealy bug, lace wing bug, leaf

hopper, leaf rollers, red spider mite, leaf-eating beetle, jassids,

aphids, white fly and root knot nematodes. Amongst these the

brinjal fruit and shoot borer is the greatest threat and can cause

a major loss in the marketable yield.

The brinjal crop is typically grown in small plots or as inter crop.

The major brinjal producing states in India are West Bengal,

Orissa, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh

and Andhra Pradesh.

Depending on the variety and the season, the average yield of

brinjal varies from 15 to 30 tonnes per hectare. Many of the

hybrid varieties have shown a potential yield of upto 50

tonnes/ha. The brinjal is generally considered a high value crop

yielding high net benefits for the farmer. Studies have shown an

Input-output ratio of 1: 2.01. The total area under brinjal

cultivation in 2006 according to the National Horticulture Board

was 0.55 million hectares, with a total production of 9.13 million

tonnes. In 2007-08, India exported 338 tonnes of brinjal worth

Rs 1.92 crores. The United Kingdom is the largest importer

(258.84 tonnes worth Rs 1.38 crores) followed by countries like

Saudi Arabia, France and Germany. dia which otherwise known as the 2nd largest brinjal producers in the world