The government of Odisha has approved the Biotechnology Policy 2024 to create a flourishing ecosystem for the biotech industry. This will further promote higher education, research & infrastructure development in the sector and strengthen the supportive ecosystem for innovation, incubation, investment, income & impact to build enterprises. Association of Biotechnology …
A consortium of Indian environmental activists has expressed fears that genetically modified brinjal, not yet approved for cultivation in India, may slip into the country from Bangladesh where it is under assessment for possible commercial release. The Coalition for a GM-free India, a group of non-government organisations, has asked Delhi …
The European Union is on course to approve cultivation of a new type of genetically modified maize for the first time in more than a decade, according to a draft proposal from the bloc's executive seen by Reuters. The proposal was drawn up after Europe's second highest court last month …
A new FAO publication calls for greater national and international efforts to bring agricultural biotechnologies to smallholder producers in developing countries. The publication, Biotechnologies at Work for Smallholders: Case Studies from Developing Countries in Crops, Livestock and Fish, asserts biotechnologies can help smallholders to improve their livelihoods and food security. …
Argentine farmworker Fabian Tomasi was never trained to handle pesticides. His job was to keep the crop-dusters flying by filling their tanks as quickly as possible, although it often meant getting drenched in poison. Now, at 47, he’s a living skeleton, so weak he can hardly leave his house in …
The Right to Food and Nutrition Watch monitors national, regional and global food security and nutrition policies from a human rights perspective, to detect and document violations as well as situations that increase the likelihood of violations and the non-implementation of human rights obligations that lead to policy failures. The …
Makes Codex Alimentarius Commission-based research a prerequisite Six day after a High Court bench allowed the government to release the genetically modified (GM) Bt Brinjal, another bench yesterday barred it until an independent research, based on Codex Alimentarius Commission’s (CAC) standards, is conducted. CAC was constituted by Food and Agriculture …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is evaluating whether or not to take action in the case of a Washington state farmer whose alfalfa crop was contaminated with a genetically modified trait that some export customers will not accept, a spokesman said on Monday. "We're still in discussion with the Washington …
Despite the ongoing controversy over their use, genetically modified (GM) crops have progressively grown in popularity and are now planted in approximately 160 million hectares in 29 countries. In the discussions of biosafety regulations for GM crops and whether to approve such crops for commercialization, many countries, including some African …
A delegation from the Coalition for a GM free India and Greenpeace India, delivered petitions from over 4 lakh Indians demanding the withdrawal of Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill. The petitions were delivered to Dr T Subbarami Reddy, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & …
New Delhi : Farmers from across the country protested against recommendations of the Technical Expert Committee (TEC) at Jantar Mantar on Thursday. They demanded latest technologies in agriculture. The rally was led by the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA) with participation from other farmers’ groups. CIFA secretary general Chengal …
British environmental activist Mark Lynas, who once “demonised” geneticially modified crops and now campaigns for their cause, blames Jairam Ramesh for being “cynical” and “politically opportunist” and setting back India’s progress in biotechnology when he was environment minister. After years of being a central figure in Greenpeace’s anti-GM campaign, Lynas …
Amid an intense public debate over the impact of Genetically Modified (GM) crops on health and environment, thousands of farmers from across the country will demonstrate in the Capital on Thursday in support of increased application of bio-technology to meet the foodgrain demand for a growing population. The farmers will …
: Dismissing concerns expressed by activists and civil society against use of genetically modified (GM) crops in the country, the Union agriculture ministry on Tuesday said that such objections have been "very speculative" and "without any reasonable assessment". The ministry, known for its pro-GM crops stand, articulated its point in …
On the eve of the 67 th Independence day, Safe Food Alliance, Tamil Nadu which is one of the constituents of the Coalition for a GM-free India and ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture) urged the TN Chief Minister Dr. J.Jayalalithaa to hoist a national flag made of non-Bt …
Farmers body CIFA today opposed the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed committee to ban field trials of biotech crops saying such a move would be "anti-national" and against the interest of growers. The five-member technical expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court has recommended banning research field trials of all …
India’s top agricultural scientists blasted the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) report which had asked for an indefinite moratorium on field trials of Bt Transgenics. These scientists claimed that 17.3 million farmers in 29 countries are growing biotech crops on over 170 million hectares of land while another 31 countries are …
A group of biotech seed companies on Monday launched an online forum to combat mounting opposition to genetically modified foods among consumer groups and activists. The website, www.GMOAnswers.com, is designed as a "central online resource" for information on genetically modified organisms and their use in agriculture and food production, the …
“Plant tissue culture is all set to bring about revolution in agriculture which will lead to socio–economic uplift and change the rural face of Assam”, pointed out Nilamani Sen Deka, Minister of Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary, while inaugurating the plant tissue culture laboratory and hardening units at Bagbahar part …
The final report of the Technical Expert Committee (TEC) set up by the Supreme Court in a Public Interest Litigation on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) has said that it will not be “advisable” to conduct more field trials till gaps in the regulatory system are addressed. The report was much …
In an effort to bring a positive change in the lives of lakhs of farmers, the state agriculture department will propagate the concept of ‘intelligent farming’. The draft agricultural development policy recently submitted to the Chief Minister lays focus on human resource development in the sector, which in the long …
