CHENNAI: Hailing Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s decision to scrap the budgetary announcement on Bt Cotton, groups opposing genetically modified crops have requested her to ban trials of such agri products in the state. The government had on Friday announced it would not promote the crop, following appeals from farmers that there was no guarantee of profit from Bt Cotton. The activists said Tamil Nadu should be declared a GM-free state until conclusive proof is made available on health and environmental impacts of such seeds.While Bt Cotton was introduced in the country claiming it will bring down the usage of insecticides, activists point out that this has not happened till date. On the contrary, the amount of spent on insecticides has doubled. According to the statistics provided by the Department of Agriculture, the estimated value of insecticide use for cotton in India had risen from `597 crore in 2002 to a massive `880 crore by 2010. “While Bt Cotton was designed to resist one common pest affecting cotton, it remains ineffective for other secondary pests. As a result, the secondary pests have increased ever since the introduction of Bt Cotton, thereby driving up the usage of insecticides making the deal costlier for the farmer and deadlier for the environment,” says Ananthoo of Safe Food Alliance.Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, official data shows that yields have been fluctuating despite an expansion of Bt Cotton cultivation area. “In this context, it is appreciable that the Chief Minister has retracted on her plans to encourage GM crops,” stated a statement by Safe Food Alliance.Appealing the Chief Minister to declare TN a state free from GM trials, they said seven states, including neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka, have done so.“Before leaving the environment ministry, then Minister Jairam Ramesh gave a parting gift by stating that states had the prerogative to decide if they want to allow GM trials. Following this, Bihar, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Karnataka have said no to GM trials,” said Ananthoo. However, the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University continues to take up field trials of GM crops. The university was also involved in the Bt Brinjal development project, which is now under the scanner of National Biodiversity Authority for biopiracy of native varieties.
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