The scientific and policy debate on the potential benefits and risks of biotechnologies remains polarized. As more genetically modified crops, insects, and fish are developed, the 2000 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity provides a forum to monitor developments and address risk assessment and risk management …
The government had assured the court that there would be no commercial release of genetically modified seeds till the views of the public were collected and placed before the appraisal committee. The hearing was conducted on the basis of a petition filed by activist Aruna Rodrigues, who had alleged that …
KAMPALA - Parliament again deferred debate on the controversial National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill 2012, pending further consultations. The bill which was number seven on the order paper was not considered by the House after deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah, who was chairing the House, told MPs that it would be …
During Monday’s heated NRM caucus meeting, some MPs confessed to receiving bribes from multinational companies to support the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill, popularly known as the GMO bill. The bill, which was due for debate yesterday, was first introduced in parliament in 2012 but has since been shelved. The …
The United States hopes that more varieties of its genetically modified corn will be approved for import by Beijing, the U.S. ambassador to China said on Wednesday. The comments came after the world's top grains buyer this month approved two new strains of U.S. genetically modified (GMO) crops for import, …
The Director General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has debunked the information by some farmers that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have affected their farms, saying, for now, there are no any GMO in the Nigerian environment. Ebegba told journalists in an interview in Abuja said nobody should …
We only approved field trials, not planting, for GMOs - Nigerian govt.We only approved field trials, not planting, for GMOs - Nigerian govt. The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has not licensed any genetically modified products in the country. The NAFDAC spokesperson, Abubakar Jimoh, …
The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) released its annual report showcasing the 110-fold increase in adoption rate of biotech crops globally in just 21 years of commercialization – growing from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 185.1 million hectares in 2016. ISAAA’s report, “Global Status of …
Will it, will it not? Uganda teeters on the brink of having a new bill to regulate genetically modified goods after President Yoweri Museveni cleared the air about which side he supports, writes JUSTUS LYATUU. The pressure to pass the Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill 2012 has started building up in …
Kenya is withholding approval for field trials of genetically-modified corn because some officials argue that a ban on GMO imports applies to controlled growing tests as well, according to a person familiar with the deliberations. Talks involving representatives from the health and environment ministries and the National Biosafety Authority reached …
Signs are always easy communicators. It is more so with colours, as they carry their own connotations. Using colour coding one can get a clear idea about the condition of a forest ecosystem or a wetland. The Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law (CEBPOL), a joint initiative between National Biodiversity …
Nagpur: Activists, scientists and experts continue to oppose the ongoing process for clearance to GM mustard by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). They claim the process of calling for any comments by the public till Wednesday by the GEAC itself is flawed as is the science behind the development …
NEW DELHI: With the deadline of submitting comments of stakeholders on genetically modified mustard to the central biotech regulator coming to an end on Wednesday, both anti and pro-GM groups have stepped up their efforts to bring finer points of their respective arguments in public domain. Ranging from holding 'Sarson …
Opponents of food products with GMOs have recently elicited fatwas from top clerics, declaring commercial sale and cultivation of genetically-altered crops "not permitted." Local media is at the center of the campaign, with Tasnim news agency on Sunday publishing a letter to state officials by a group of university professors, …
More than 90 non-government outfits and some prominent citizens associated with civil society movements are among the signatories. Reuters file photo Non-government organisations on Thursday wrote to Union Environment Minister Anil Dave demanding release of complete biosafety data on the Genetically Modified (GM) mustard. They also sought four months time …
GM Mustard will have "serious" health and environmental impact, a farmers body today claimed and demanded a ban on the mustard hybrid. In its resolution, Kisan Ekta, which claimed to be the largest farmers organisation representing 400 million farmers also reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi that GM Mustard is a …
Amid speculation over the fate of genetically modified crops, India's Environment Ministry on Monday said that a regulatory framework supported by several guidlines is there to ensure biosafety of all types of genetically engineered organisms. "India has a robust regulatory framework for ensuring biosafety of all types of genetically engineered …
NEW DELHI: Allaying concerns of environmentalists who alleged that the central biotech regulator's sub-committee that studied the bio-safety of GM (genetically modified) mustard did not have any 'health expert' on board, the Union environment ministry on Sunday said the panel had "experts in subjects relevant to safety". It said, "The …
Want full biosafety data on GM mustard in public domain Activists have claimed that the environment safety assessment of the genetically modified (GM) variety of mustard, recently cleared as safe by a technical panel of the government, involved significantly fewer tests than had been done for the last such food …
A day after the environment ministry released a "Safety assessment report of the sub-committee on GM mustard" which concluded that the transgenic crop has cleared all safety tests and is safe for human consumption, a Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) member and noted molecular biologist, Pushpa M Bhargava said the …
