Bt Brinjal - A safe breakthrough
With environmental clearance from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in place, Bt-Brinjal has taken an important step towards its widespread cultivation. As is expected, a variety of views, supportive as well as those advocating caution have been expressed regarding the introduction of Bt-brinjal. These concerns carry additional urgency given the fact that brinjal, unlike Bt-cotton, is a food crop bringing in additional issues like consumer choice and labeling. Mr. Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State (IC) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India spoke exclusively to Biotech News to highlight the safeguards and rigorous testing that has preceded the GEAC nod to Bt-Brinjal, as well as to allay fears of any downsides to its commercial release.