Govt plans to approve GM crops
Mushir Ahmed | Saturday, 2 April 2011
Mushir Ahmed
A plan is underway to approve Genetically Modified (GM) crops in the country to boost food production and cut alarming overuse of pesticide across the rural areas, officials said. Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury has backed the controversial move, although a group of experts and environmentalists are opposed to the crops because of environmental safety issue and ecological concerns. While Motia has stressed extensive study on GM organisms before the crops are formally allowed in the country, officials said the government has planned to approve the crops before the end of its tenure. "We don't see any harm in planting GM crops in the country," a top agriculture ministry official told the FE. He opted to be unnamed as he is not the authorised spokesman of the ministry. "The bulk of the soybean and canola oil we import from the United States and consumed by our people is produced from GM crops. The US and some other nations have introduced the crops decades ago," he said. The official said the government would approve the GM crops in phases as part of precautionary measures, with Bt Brinjal and Rb Potato being readied for launching in the first stage. The GM versions of the two crops are being studied at the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI). Private seed company, Lalteer is also working on Bt Brinjal, in collaboration with Indian biotech firm, Mahico. Officials said the government formulated a draft guideline on GM crops last year, outlining the areas where local firms and state research agencies can venture into and how the crops will be marketed and planted in farmland. "We now need a law to approve GM crops in the country. The science and environment ministries are working on a biotechnology law that will also cover the GM crop issue," the official said. GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Scientists and biotechnology firms have modfied the genes of some crops in a bid to make them more productive or bolster their anti-bodies to fight off pests or diseases. Critics -- mainly in the health-conscious European Union where GM crops are still banned -- have objected to genetically engineered foods on environmental safety, ecological and economic grounds. Some left-leaning campaigners have also vehemently opposed the GM crops because they make seed business and farming an exclusive territory of the big multinational companies. Proponents including the officials of the ministry of agriculture and state research institutes said Bangladesh badly needs GM crops to make maximum use of its depleting farm lands. A booming economy and soaring population mean more and more farmland are giving way to residential quarters and non-farm purposes every year, seriously undermining the country's ability to produce its food need. "Rising food prices are now a big concern, forcing the government to spike food subsidy. The only answer to this worsening situation is to grow more crops on our limited land," said the official. He said the GM crops would also cut "alarming abuse" of pesticides in the country. "Most of our farmers don't know about the optimum use of pesticides on vegetables such as brinjals. Overuse of these chemicals has exposed public health to all sorts of deadly diseases," he said. BARI research director Sirajul Islam said the state-owned institute has been field-testing Bt Brinjal since 2005-6, aimed at cutting rampant use of pesticides on the vegetables. "We have great field success in Bt brinjal. The genetically modified brinjal is resistant to 95 per cent of pest attack, meaning it does not need any pesticide spray," he said. BARI will study the crop for the last time this June and the crop will be ready for approval by end of this year, the director said. Islam said the Gazipur-based BARI, which successfully introduced several lines of hybrid wheat in the country, is also testing genetically modified, Rb Potato. "So far the results are mixed," he said.
A plan is underway to approve Genetically Modified (GM) crops in the country to boost food production and cut alarming overuse of pesticide across the rural areas, officials said. Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury has backed the controversial move, although a group of experts and environmentalists are opposed to the crops because of environmental safety issue and ecological concerns. While Motia has stressed extensive study on GM organisms before the crops are formally allowed in the country, officials said the government has planned to approve the crops before the end of its tenure. "We don't see any harm in planting GM crops in the country," a top agriculture ministry official told the FE. He opted to be unnamed as he is not the authorised spokesman of the ministry. "The bulk of the soybean and canola oil we import from the United States and consumed by our people is produced from GM crops. The US and some other nations have introduced the crops decades ago," he said. The official said the government would approve the GM crops in phases as part of precautionary measures, with Bt Brinjal and Rb Potato being readied for launching in the first stage. The GM versions of the two crops are being studied at the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI). Private seed company, Lalteer is also working on Bt Brinjal, in collaboration with Indian biotech firm, Mahico. Officials said the government formulated a draft guideline on GM crops last year, outlining the areas where local firms and state research agencies can venture into and how the crops will be marketed and planted in farmland. "We now need a law to approve GM crops in the country. The science and environment ministries are working on a biotechnology law that will also cover the GM crop issue," the official said. GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Scientists and biotechnology firms have modfied the genes of some crops in a bid to make them more productive or bolster their anti-bodies to fight off pests or diseases. Critics -- mainly in the health-conscious European Union where GM crops are still banned -- have objected to genetically engineered foods on environmental safety, ecological and economic grounds. Some left-leaning campaigners have also vehemently opposed the GM crops because they make seed business and farming an exclusive territory of the big multinational companies. Proponents including the officials of the ministry of agriculture and state research institutes said Bangladesh badly needs GM crops to make maximum use of its depleting farm lands. A booming economy and soaring population mean more and more farmland are giving way to residential quarters and non-farm purposes every year, seriously undermining the country's ability to produce its food need. "Rising food prices are now a big concern, forcing the government to spike food subsidy. The only answer to this worsening situation is to grow more crops on our limited land," said the official. He said the GM crops would also cut "alarming abuse" of pesticides in the country. "Most of our farmers don't know about the optimum use of pesticides on vegetables such as brinjals. Overuse of these chemicals has exposed public health to all sorts of deadly diseases," he said. BARI research director Sirajul Islam said the state-owned institute has been field-testing Bt Brinjal since 2005-6, aimed at cutting rampant use of pesticides on the vegetables. "We have great field success in Bt brinjal. The genetically modified brinjal is resistant to 95 per cent of pest attack, meaning it does not need any pesticide spray," he said. BARI will study the crop for the last time this June and the crop will be ready for approval by end of this year, the director said. Islam said the Gazipur-based BARI, which successfully introduced several lines of hybrid wheat in the country, is also testing genetically modified, Rb Potato. "So far the results are mixed," he said.