Indian Farmers of Bangalore protest Dupont's open-field GMO rice trials

[marmar]

from Food First:



Indian Farmers of Bangalore protest Dupont's open-field GMO rice trials
Posted November 18th, 2010




Farmers of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) today sent out a strong warning to the Multinational seed corporations trying to take control over India's seed sector by stopping the field trial of Dupont's genetically modified (GM) rice here. The open air experimental trial was being conducted at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, under GKVK by the Multinational Seed company. Hundreds of farmers from the area assembled at the KVK and staged a protest demonstration against such open air experiments of GM crops.

This field trials were recently permitted by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, the nodal agency for GM crop releases in India in its 103rd meeting held in New Delhi on 29th September 2010. Dupont, the second largest seed corporation in the world after Monsanto, is developing a GM rice using a transgenic SPT ( Seed Production technology), a proprietary technology.SPT technology that allows increase of large quantities of genetically male-sterile female inbred parent seed. This could then be used for commercial hybrid seed production.

Leading the protest, Dr Venkata Reddy, Vice president,KRRS declared that “the farmers union will oppose any such open releases of GM crops as they are a step towards submiting our agriculture into the hands of US multinational Seed companies who are out here to control our seed and there by our agriculture”. He further pointed out that "GM rice is a threat not just to the farmer but to every citizen in the country due to the health and environmental implications. There has been many scientific studies accross the world pointing to the same." ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/3201