Natural farming is always better: Dave

Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave today stuck a note of caution over using genetically modified crops, saying one particular scientific process should not be given preference and asserted that natural farming is "always better".
"We should not stick to one particular scientific process of producing better seeds. Basically Indian scientists and researchers should come forward and do their level best to help the farmers of this country.
"Funds from this country should not drain out elsewhere in the world. It is the money of farmers and people of country," he said.
Batting for natural farming, he said it does not mean unscientific farming.

"There cannot be a watertight compartment between these two things. Natural farming is always better. Natural farming does not mean unscientific farming. It should be scientific and modern.
"We have full right to experiment. India is alive not because it is in a water tight compartment, it is because we have allowed experimenting. The day we close the door to new experiments, we will die. But soil should not be destroyed," he said when asked whether he thought organic farming to be superior to genetically modified varieties.

Noting that sensitisation have hampered a lot of things, Dave said that a good system for India's farmers should be thought of so that he gets good seeds.

A group of activists recently said they will step up their resistance to approval of GM mustard and demanded fixing liability on crop developers for providing "false" evidence to the country's biotech regulator.
At a specially-convened meeting by the Environment Ministry, farm activists, scientists and others presented fresh evidence on the "fraud and hazard" of GM mustard.
He said that the Coastal Regulation Zone rules are a great concern to the Ministry particularly the issues of fisherman and the Ministry will soon come out with a solution.