Nagpur: Two years after a special investigation team (SIT) to probe smuggling of illegal herbicide tolerant (HT) cotton seeds in the state was formed, the two-member team has prepared only a rough draft of its report. The SIT, which was formed in February, 2018, was supposed to submit its report …
Are hybrids always a precursor to a genetically modified (GM) version of the crop? In the case of maize, both the champions of GM and the opposition believe GM maize is round the corner. Currently, four multinationals are conducting field trials of GM maize in India. Monsanto India Ltd is …
Maize has become the queen of cereals, courted by state governments, seed companies, farmers and the feedstock and starch industries as the crop of the future. The golden promise of hybrid maize with its high productivity and high returns is luring farmers across the country. But this triumphal march is …
The BT brinjal case just got murkier. Government’s National Biodiversity Authority has decided to take legal action against Mayhco and Monsanto for using Indian varieties of the vegetable without mandatory permissions. The authority, meant to govern use of Indian genetic resources by business and research groups, decided in its meeting …
The development of Bt brinjal was a case of bio-piracy, according to the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA). According to sources, the NBA has finally concluded its year-long investigation and recommended action against the U.S. agri-business giant Monsanto and its Indian collaborators who developed and promoted the controversial, genetically modified vegetable. …
Over a year after bio-piracy complaints against U.S.-based multinational Monsanto — with regard to Bt brinjal — reached the National Biodiversity Authority of India (NBA), the investigation is still continuing. However, when Monsanto sent in its application to use Indian onion strains for hybrid research last month, the Authority promptly …
New Delhi More than a year after former environment minister Jairam Ramesh put an indefinite moratorium on commercial introduction of Bt brinjal in the country, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has asked for additional tests on the ayurvedic qualities of the genetically modified brinjal. GEAC has asked Maharashtra Hybrid …
A controversy has sparked between non-profit Greenpeace and the Indian Association of Biotech led Enterprise–Agriculture Group (ABLE-AG) over the use of glyphosate in the country. Glyphosate is an active ingredient used in herbicides which are chemical solutions used to kill weeds (unwanted plants). Glyphosate-based herbicides are non-selective and kill all …
Cotton has been the biggest success story in Indian agriculture since the Green Revolution. In a country struggling with stagnant yields in most crops, cotton has been the one bright spot. Production has soared from 13.6 million bales (each bale is 170 kg) in 2002-03 to 31.2 million bales in …
Firms keep govt in the dark over conducting experiments, he says Agriculture Minister Umesh Katti has declared that the Government will not allow trials of genetically modified (GM) crops in the State. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday in Bangalore, the Minister said Karnataka had opposed Bt brinjal, and if media …
New Delhi Since the introduction of genetically modified (GM) cotton crop, which accounts more than 90% in the total area under cotton in the country, there has been a fear of genetic erosion and loss of biodiversity, a group of reputed cotton breeders have expressed. While acknowledging the fact that …
Ten months after Rajasthan signed its extraordinary memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with seven biotech seed companies, the state government finds itself caught in a cleft stick. Owing to a series of protests by farmers’ organisations, the government has thought it prudent not to execute the MoUs. At the same time, …
Seed is the only part of the agricultural chain that is growing at 20% a year and is insulated from both government subsidies and weather vagaries. And, in the clamour for higher yields and greater farmer acceptance, seed companies are hitting a sweet spot in innovation, reports Nidhi Nath Srinivas …
Centre approves field trials of 14 GM crops. But some states refuse trials, saying safety regulations are too lax. With politicians joining activists, the issue is likely to take a politically volatile turn. This special report in DTE uncovers the mess in GM crops. As India gets ready to unleash …
AT daybreak on March 11, there was a burst of activity at Litchi Lawn, a corner plot on the sprawling campus of the Pusa Institute in Bihar’s Samastipur district. Workers were uprooting the maize growing in a small patch of land close to the office, intent on finishing their work …
IT is just a 12-member body but the Agricultural Group (AG) of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE-Ag) must be about the most powerful lobby groups in India. Among the dozen companies are the world’s largest biotech companies— Bayer BioScience, Dow AgroSciences, Monsanto, PHI Seeds—and a clutch of rising …
The wider democratic role of panchayats was very much in evidence on April 8, 2011 at a conference on 'Agriculture and Panchayats in Rajasthan in the Specific Context of Agreements with Multinational and other Big Agribusiness Companies'. In this conference panchayat leaders from 14 districts of Rajasthan unanimously called upon …
While it is widely agreed that an important goal of Panchayati Raj is to ensure better implementation of government's rural development programmes by ensuring participation of people, it is also important to assert that the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions at various levels is certainly not restricted to blind acceptance …
