Hunger fast on 30th January, across the nation has been called for protesting against bt brinjal and need not to say, is getting all round support. But, till now, I have not been able to enrich myself enough to protest against GM crops. Surely, there have been uproar against bt brinjal, but I think there is lack of scientific logic backing their views. Chances do persist, I might be a loser at the end but nevertheless, the discussion will enrich me as well as the readers of the blog.
Bt- cotton was first introduced in the year 2002 in India, till then the productivity has increased from 191 to 466 kg per ha, whereas the % area under irrigation has increased from 33.1 % to 36.1% only. Hence, the only variable for which the reason can be attributed to, is bt-cotton seeds. (Around 76 % of the area is under bt- cotton). Cotton has emerged as a favoured cash-crop, particularly in the nine States under Bt cotton. At present there are two kind of Bt cotton seeds available in the market, bollgard and bollgard-II. Early indications do suggest that many cotton farmers are upgrading to the superior Bollgard II. According to a research conducted by Mahyco-Monsanto Biotechand IMRB International on the socio-economic benefits of Bt cotton cultivation in India, the Bt cotton farmers got yields of 9 to 10 quintals an acre as against 5 to 6 quintals with conventional seeds. From the data collected in the 9 states, average additional income to the farmers has increased by 64%. Hence, at least I can conclude that this new technology has added to the prosperity of the farmers. But, before coming to this conclusion, the other side of the story should be given a proper hearing.
Activists protesting against Bt brinjal claims that contrary to Bt cotton, Bt brinjal will be directly consumed by the human beings which will pose a serious threat to human health. But, while making these statements, the scientific logic should be taken care of.
Bt works by binding to the appropriate receptor on the surface of midgut epithelial cells. Hence, any organism that lacks the appropriate receptors in its gut cannot be affected by Bt. Therefore, the toxicity of each Bt type is limited to one or two insect orders, and is nontoxic to vertebrates and many beneficial arthropods. Now, coming to the gastric media, that differs between the insects being affected by Bt which is alkaline and human beings having acidic one. So, it is a matter of research to prove the claims that Bt will affect the human health same as it affects the worms infesting cotton and vegetable crops. There is clear evidence from laboratory settings that Bt toxins can affect non-target organisms. Usually, but not always, affected organisms are closely related to intended targets. Typically, exposure occurs through the consumption of plant parts such as pollen or plant debris, or through Bt ingested by their predatory food choices. Nevertheless, due to significant data gaps, the real-world consequences of Bt transgenics remains unclear.
But, there are some limitations to these crops also, i.e. constant exposure to a toxin creates evolutionary pressure for pests resistant to that toxin. As, diamond back moth population is known to have acquired resistance to Bt in spray form when used in organic agriculture. The same researcher has also reported the first documented case of pest resistance to biotech cotton. One method of reducing resistance is the creation of non-Bt crop refuges to allow some non-resistant insects to survive and maintain a susceptible population. To reduce the chance that an insect would become resistant to a Bt crop, the commercialization of transgenic cotton and maize in 1996 was accompanied with a management strategy to prevent insects from becoming resistant to Bt crops, and insect resistance management plans have been made mandatory for Bt crops. Now, Chinese farmers have found that after seven years of growing BT cotton the populations of other insects other than bollworms, such as mirids, have become significant problems and similar problems but with mealy bugs have been reported in India.
So, again my request to all of you will be to have a thought on this issue, and think twice before making a stand. Now, your verdict will decide what should be our future? And, yes I am going for hunger fast on 30th of January, but not protesting Bt brinjal, in stead providing my diet to two of the orphans. Hope you will also find a reason for fast.
