Facing intense opposition from within and outside, government today refused to give a go-ahead to commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal, a genetically-modified version of the vegetable that is said to be more resistant to pests.
Announcing a cautious approach of the government, Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said there was "no clear consensus" among the scientists and stake-holders on giving permission to Bt brinjal and more studies needed to be conducted.
"There is no over-riding urgency to introduce it... When the public sentiments have been negative, it is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary and principle-based approach," he told a hurriedly-called press conference which was originally scheduled for tomorrow.
"I will not impose a decision till such time independent scientific studies establish safety of the product from long-term view of human health," Ramesh said.
He said it was a difficult decision to take but he had to balance many issues of science and society and producer and consumer.
However, he made it clear that today's decision applied only to Bt brinjal and does not cover future of genetically-modified crops, be it ladyfinger, cabbage or rice.
Ramesh's decision came after a series of public consultations in seven cities across the country, that often turned acrimonious. A number of state governments, including Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh, have publicly opposed the introduction of Bt brinjal.
Ramesh said in arriving at his decision, he has responded both to science and society and had followed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech in the Indian Science Congress last month.
"I have followed democratic, transparent and often acrimonious process. I have put my decision before people. I have given the reasons for my decison. My conscience is clear," he said.
The Environment Minister said he wanted the issue to be discussed in Parliament and National Development Council in detail.
Replying to a question, he said since he assumed the charge of Environment portfolio on May 29 last year he had not met representative of any company involved in genetically-modified crops though as Commerce Minister he had met them.
Noting that the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have opposed Bt brinjal, Ramesh said non-Congress ruled states of West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar accounted for 60 per cent of brinjal cultivation.
All the Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states have already opposed introduction of Bt brinjal.
Bt brinjal is a genetically-modified vegetable which is infused with Cry1Ac gene from a bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to make the plant resistant to the fruit and shoot borers and certain pests.
Some scientists have been opposing it, arguing that the genes were toxic and would affect the health of the consumers.
In view of the sensitivity involved in Bt brinjal, the Environment Ministry had appointed a Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to regulate research, testing and commercial release of genetically-modified crops, foods and organisms.
The GEAC announced approval for large scale field trials for Bt brinjal in September 2007 with the possibility of commercialisation by 2009.
It also cleared proposals for biosafety studies for other food crops such as ladyfinger, rice, and tomatoes.
In February 2008, the Supreme Court revoked its earlier ban on the approval of large scale field trials of transgenic crops.
Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech, the company involved in genetically-modified foods, has been arguing that a normal farmer sprays pesticide at least 50 to 80 times in the entire lifecycle of a brinjal crop, and these toxins are transfered to the consumers.
Bt brinjal, on the other hand, affects only the pests and not the humans, it has been maintaining.
Gene Campaign, an NGO opposed to Bt brinjal, has been contending that Bt gene produces poison and "when it can harm pests, where's the proof that it won't be harmful to humans?"
