Formal cultivation of Bt Brinjal begins amid protests

The government formally released Wednesday saplings of genetically modified organism (GMO) crop Bt Brinjal, paving the way for cultivation of the controversial variety in the country.  
With the official release, Bangladesh is set to become the first country in the world to produce and consume the variety. Study by New Zealand epidemiologist Dr Lou Gallagher has shown consumption of genetically modified Bt Brinjal can make consumers sick.
Dr Lou Gallagher's study said, if eaten regularly, it can adversely affect the immune response of the body, cause liver damage and lead to reproductive disorders.
The government took the move despite widespread protests by the country's experts, environmentalists, farmers and businesses for its having serious health related hazards.
India and Philippine have banned Bt Brinjal cultivation for an indefinite period in their countries amid protests by the experts and environmentalists there.  
Agriculture minister Begum Matia Chowdhury officially distributed Bt Brinjal saplings to 20 farmers from Jamalpur, Gazipur, Pabna and Rangpur districts at a programme held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) in the city organised by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
BARC Executive chairman Dr Kamal Uddin presided over the programme.
The agriculture minister ruled out the possibilities of having health hazards after consuming Bt Brinjal and said, "The decision to cultivate Bt Brinjal has been taken after conducting different necessary tests at home and abroad."
Begum Matia Chowdhury, said that GMO (genetically modified organism) crop is necessary to ensure food security in the country.
Answering a question she also said that the farmers would be able to preserve Bt Brinjal seeds themselves.
BARI developed four varieties of Bt Brinjal after inserting a crystal protein gene (Cry1Ac) taken from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, known as Bt into four local varieties known as Uttara, Kajla Nayontara and BARI Begun.
According to BARI scientists engaged in Bt Brinjal tests, specialty of Bt Brinjal is that it is resistant to fruit and shoot borer (FSB) which causes harm to brinjal.
But experts said the controversial crop, which has been banned in every country where it was tried to be released, have serious health hazards and Bangladesh will not be able to tackle the consequences of the hazards.   
BARI director general Dr Rafiqul Islam Mandal recognised that although Bt Brinjal is resistant to FSB, it cannot prevent other harmful pests like hoper beetle, epilakna beetle etc which causes severe damage to crops.     
Multinational seed giant Monsanto and its Indian ally Mahyco, with the financial assistance of USAID, developed the Bt Brinjal seed in India in 2005. It is now banned in the country following massive protests from Indian environmentalists, biodiversity experts and ordinary citizens.
Mahyco marketed the seed advertising that it could protect eggplants from the bugs which cause massive damage to crops.
Biodiversity experts and environmentalists said that without a bio-safety guideline, BARI should not do any genetic modification over indigenous seed varieties.
GMO experiments in open fields should also not be done which could have a devastating effect on other indigenous brinjal and crop varieties, they said.
They said BARI, without any bio-safety measure, had planted BT Brinjal in six places openly which is surely a violation of the existing 'Genetic Engineering Policy'.
"If the country had any bio-safety guideline, it would surely be a violation of the law," Pavel Partho, an ethno-biologist and biodiversity expert said.
He said pollination of the Bt Brinjal may harm many other varieties of brinjal and tomato.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by New Zealand epidemiologist Dr Lou Gallagher showed the consumption of genetically modified BT Brinjal can make human sick.
If eaten regularly, it can adversely affect the immune response of the body, cause liver damage and lead to reproductive disorders, his study said.
A report, published in 'India Today' in January 2011, citing Dr Lou Gallagher's study said that rats fed with BT Brinjal experienced organ and system damage and had ovaries at half their normal weight, enlarged spleens with white blood cell counts at 35 to 40 per cent higher than normal with elevated eosinophils, indicating immune function changes.
Toxic effects to the liver were seen in the form of elevated bilirubin, Dr Gallagher's study showed.