Friday, September 30, 2016

OPINION: Seeds of discontent?

OPINION » COLUMNS

Updated: September 30, 2016 00:17 IST 


The government is within its rights to take a strategic decision to commercialise GM mustard, but not at the cost of fidelity to the law.

On September 5, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released an “Assessment of Food and Environmental Safety” for genetically modified (GM) mustard on its website, and gave the public a month to respond with comments and concerns. This review report was put together by an expert sub-committee of the ministry’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). The public consultation is likely to be the penultimate step before the government takes a final decision on what might become India’s first GM food crop — Bt cotton seeds, though also crushed for edible oil, were not explicitly approved as food; Bt brinjal is unlikely to emerge out of the moratorium issued by former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh any time soon.
GM mustard represents the culmination of over a decade of painstaking work by a team of Delhi University scientists led by the noted biotechnologist, Deepak Pental. Mustard, a self-pollinating crop, is difficult to hybridise, that is, cross-pollinate. Pental’s team has genetically modified an Indian mustard, Varuna, and an East European mustard line in order to cross-pollinate them. They have sought permission to commercially release the resultant hybrid named DMH-11, and to use the two GM parental lines for developing new hybrids. They claim that by virtue of being a hybrid (rather than a GM crop), DMH-11 yields about 30 per cent more than a reference mustard variety. Given India’s huge import bill for edible oil, they argue, this effort to boost mustard yields must be welcomed. Indeed, this may well be a moment for us to appreciate government-led scientific efforts — except that the case for GM mustard is not as straightforward as the government makes it seem.
Biosafety and socio-economic impact
GM mustard is resistant to the herbicide glufosinate, and thus a herbicide-tolerant (HT) crop. A farmer growing DMH-11 can potentially get rid of weeds with a blanket spray of glufosinate (sold in India by Bayer under the brand name Basta), which will kill all the plants except the mustard crop. The technical expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court in an ongoing public interest litigation (PIL) concerning GM crops had found HT crops “completely unsuitable in the Indian context” in its final, majority report. The principal reasons were that herbicides adversely impact the vast constituency of manual labourers, for whom weeding provides livelihood, and generate selective pressure for the emergence of herbicide-resistant or “super” weeds. The aforementioned MoEFCC review report on GM mustard makes light of these concerns, and simply notes that farmers are not “required to spray herbicide” on GM mustard fields — which is neither here nor there.
Second, there are concerns that the yield advantage of GM mustard has been over-estimated by comparing it with dated mustard reference varieties. Sharad E. Pawar, Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has analysed the yield data of DMH-11 and shown that it has “no yield advantage over varieties and hybrids released in recent years”; a view also held by the government’s own Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research.
Transparency and public participation
These and other concerns (such as over gene flow, impact on biodiversity) might have been addressed if the government had made public the details of its case for GM mustard — and by “making public”, I mean making its case freely and widely available, even to those who cannot access websites or read English. However, having uploaded the review report, the MoEFCC has made the primary data on agronomic and biosafety assessment available only to those who can visit the GEAC secretariat in New Delhi by prior appointment during working hours before October 5.
Equally serious is the fact that withholding the full biosafety dossier violates the government’s own commitments given to the Supreme Court on April 8, 2008 in the hearing on the aforementioned PIL. Consequently, we do not know, for example, if sociologists considered the impact of GM mustard on agricultural labourers; or if ecologists, toxicologists and nutritionists investigated the wider impact of potential glufosinate use on mustard fields. In April and again in August, the Central Information Commission ordered the MoEFCC to release complete information on GM mustard and other GM crops. The Commission also ordered the GEAC to disclose the agenda and full, detailed minutes of its meetings, which the Ministry had stopped doing since 2012. The Ministry continues to disregard these orders.
Thereby, the MoEFCC is reducing public participation to a farce. Denying citizens a voice in this matter is all the more serious considering that no labelling regime is in place in India. That is, if commercialised, citizens will not have the choice of opting out of GM sarson da saag, for instance.
Perhaps, developers of GM mustard and the government fear that releasing the biosafety dossier will lead them down the path of Bt brinjal, but this fear is misplaced. The government is within its rights to take a strategic decision to commercialise GM mustard despite opposition, but this cannot come at the cost of transparency and fidelity to the law. At the minimum, the full biosafety dossier for GM mustard must be uploaded on the Ministry’s website, the GEAC should disclose its full agenda notes and minutes for each of its meetings, and the window for public consultation should be extended beyond 30 days.
As the distinguished biotechnologist, mustard-breeder, and former Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research V. L. Chopra wrote some years ago, greater transparency and wider public participation may be the most effective way of “allaying fears and building confidence” in our regulatory institutions.
Aniket Aga is Assistant Professor at the School for Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Email: aaniket@umich.edu
SOURCE : http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/seeds-of-discontent/article9163847.ece

Friday, September 23, 2016

NEWS : Kerala government opposes GM mustard cultivation

Press Trust of India  |  Thiruvananthapuram 
The CPI(M)-led government in today opposed the cultivation of Genetically Modified mustard in the country and demanded that the Centre withdraw sanction for its cultivation. 
Talking to reporters after a cabinet meeting here, Chief Minister said the Centre's move to allow GM mustard cultivation has caused concern among people as it might cause health issues.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SOURCE : http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/kerala-government-opposes-gm-mustard-cultivation-116092001260_1.html

Thursday, September 22, 2016

NEWS: GM Mustard Will Have Serious Health & Environmental Impact

  |  Updated: September 22, 2016 16:59 IST


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 "negative" value crop and will "endanger" not only farmers but also trade, exports and environment as well.
The farmers body also decided to re-launch "Yellow Revolution" with a focus on organic and agro-ecological approaches, higher assured prices and increased protection from cheap imported oil.
"We resolve categorically to demand to the government that GM Mustard has to be banned. We want the state governments also to reject GM mustard. "It is high time that we address the real issues that farmers face, vis-a vis farmer suicides, increasing cost of production, near stagnant prices, decreased import tariffs, massive crop losses, increasing debt of the farmers, and depleting natural resources including a healthy and organic soil," the body said in a statement.
The farmers body said that Indian agriculture has a strong "No GMO" brand value and is moving to a high value "Organic" brand, with very impressive growth rates while GM Mustard will destroy this trade advantage and the long-pending shift to organic farming and agro-ecological agriculture.
"We have also clearly understood that globally, there is massive opposition to any GM crop and any attempt to release more GM crops in India will endanger not only our farmers, but also our trade, exports and environment as well. "We wish to remind the PM that GM Mustard is a negative value crop, while organic mustard will have huge value appreciation. This is advantageous for the farmer, trader and consumer. No sensible nation will destroy this advantage," they said.
Other Anti GM activists have raised concerns on the process currently being undertaken by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Environment Ministry for GM mustard which they have termed as "meaningless and unscientific".
GEAC had constituted a sub-committee of scientific experts to examine the bio-safety data on GM mustard. The report was placed on the Environment Ministry's website, inviting comments. Activists have alleged that the committee did not have any health expert and three of its members have conflict of interest.
SOURCE : http://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/gm-mustard-will-have-serious-health-environmental-impact-1465152



(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

NEWS: ‘Stop GM mustard, give 120 days for feedback’

| TNN | 

JAIPUR: Several eminent citizens, among them winners of the Padma Shri awards, retired Admiral Ramdas, former Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss, Medha Patkar of the National Alliance of People's Movements, Aruna Roy, Shankar Singh and Nikhil Dey of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghatan pleaded with the government to extend the time offered for public feedback on the move to allow commercial cultivation of GM mustard for 120 days after the biosafety dossier is placed in the public domain.



The letter, to Union environment minister Anil Dave, expresses alarm that biosafety clearance has been granted to three GMOs of mustard. "It is apparent from even a preliminary perusal of the matter that neither benefit assessment nor risk assessment has been taken up comprehensively and thoroughly by the regulators," the signatories say.

"The adverse impacts of herbicide tolerant crops including greater agri-chemical usage, more chemical residues in our food and environment, adverse impacts of both GM crop and the linked chemical usage on our health and environment, entrapping farmers in a seed and chemicals market trap, creation of super-weeds etc are well documented," the letter says.



The signatories note that the claims of enhanced yield in GM mustard are unfounded. Besides, there are other means by which oilseeds production can be increased without using transgenic technology, the letter writers assert, adding that risk assessment of the GM varieties has not been done comprehensively.

"Why is the government ready to dabble with a hazardous unneeded technology when there are other solutions that are farmer-controlled, safe, sustainable and affordable," writes Kavitha Kuruganti of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, the lead signatory.



Kuruganti also points out that there is a PIL in the Supreme Court in the matter, and an order is still awaited. The letter writers have asked the government to extend the time offered to the public for feedback to 120 days, and also make it easier to offer such feedback. Besides, the biosafety dossier in the matter had not been placed in the public domain when the earlier announcement of a 30-day window for public feedback was announced.

SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Stop-GM-mustard-give-120-days-for-feedback/articleshow/54465824.cms

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Mango workshop on 24 & 25 Sep 2016 at Vanvadi (Neral Maharashtra)

This workshop by Vasantbhai Futane, experienced organic farmer and mango grower, will begin at 11 am on Saturday, and end by 3.30 pm on Sunday. Besides learning how to plant and tend mangoes, it offers some practical, hands-on experience in grafting. The workshop would also help you understand the ecological benefits of growing mango; and the selection of suitable varieties from a rich biodiversity growing in India.

The main language of communication will be Hindi, with concise translation into Marathi by Vasantbhai himself, and English translation (for those who need it) by Bharat.

On Sunday, by about noon, we hope to be joined by Nareshbhai Save, eldest son of Bhaskarbhai Save, who himself has several decades of rich experience in organic/natural horticulture, including mango. Extended interaction and sharing will thus continue till at least 3.30 pm on Sunday. 

A voluntary contribution of Rs 2,000 per participant (including food and stay) is requested for the workshop; but less or more is equally welcome. Payments may be made in cash or cheque in the following Net Banking Account:
Account Holder: Zui Mansata
Account No: 030010024360
Bank: Dena Bank
Branch: Peddar Road, Mumbai 400026
IFSC: BKDN0450101
MICR: 400018041

As we are planning to have a maximum of 25 participants for the workshop, please confirm participation soon by making payment and emailing a brief introductory para about yourself to vanutsav@gmail.com with a copy to bharatmansata@yahoo.com

What to bring: notepad, pen, rain protection, a small sharp knife, sleeping mat, 2 sheets, a mosquito net, torch, change of clothes, and whatever you would like to swim/splash in. Caution: The large rock pool is over 16 feet deep, and for swimmers only. Smaller, waist-deep water bodies are available for non-swimmers/beginners.

Vanvadi: is a 21 year old, 65 acre, collectively owned and regenerated bio-diverse forest, with about 2 acres under cultivated food crops, and over one acre of water bodies and streams. Our new community house can provide shared accommodation for about 25 people; and we encourage a community spirit of shared work and reciprocal learning and sensitivity. Simple vegetarian food is offered. There is no electricity, no piped water, and net connectivity is poor. But the natural ambience is delightful… lush forest, gurgling streams, the calls of birds and insects, … the sparkle of fireflies at night, and zillion glowing stars when the skies are clear!

Directions to reach Vanvadi from Mumbai or Pune are provided herehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1oRhHFslrE9xibMEfQVGCqgPNz1eTwKTTkWcBXZHyscs/pub

for more info.Call; Bharat 9967371183, Zui/Vinita 022-23542420, Tejal 9833707598




Do help reach farmers in your contact. Share widely. 


Friday, September 16, 2016

NEWS: Actors and their trysts with agriculture

By Surya Praphulla Kumar  |   Published: 16th September 2016 09:51 AM  |  
Last Updated: 16th September 2016 09:52 AM  |

These actors and directors who have taken up farming can teach you a thing or two about being self sufficient.
In the last decade, there haven’t been too many actors who have captured the global imagination as much as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. So when the Fury star bought a French winery four years ago and proclaimed “I’m a farmer now”, the world sat up and took notice. As it turned out, Pitt—who encourages his children to work on their own organic patches at home—was not satisfied with just a land deed to his name. He told the Daily Mail that he loved “learning about the land and which field is suitable for which grape” because it is the “antithesis of the drive, the want, the need to get ahead, that is indicative of life in Hollywood”.

This need to escape the arclights every now and then and return to a simpler life is finding resonance closer to home. While R Madhavan has set up a terrace garden in his penthouse in Mumbai—where he grows organic vegetables using hydroponics (a farming method using water and no soil), Bollywood stars like Salman Khan are growing produce in their backyard. But the more interesting stories belong to actors who have purchased tracts of farm land and are actually manning tractors and harvesting grain with their families in tow. Nawazuddin Siddiqui candidly admits that till he was in his mid-20s, he used to actively work on his farm. “Agriculture has been in our family for a long time, from my grandfather’s and great grandfather’s time. Now I have two farms, a 70 acre and a 15 acre one in Budhana, a village in Uttar Pradesh,” says the Freaky Ali star, who makes it a point to visit them at least five times a year, spending a minimum of 10 days each, immersing himself in the day-to-day work.

For others, the interest has been sparked in response to the chemically-treated foods we are forced to consume. Down South, filmmaker Vetrimaaran has acquired farmland and is currently detoxifying the ground because he wants to begin organic farming. “It’s worrying that we are literally eating poison in the form of food. It is pumped with fertilisers and pesticides, and most of them are carcinogenic. Whoever can, should start taking the cause of the land seriously,” says the Visaranai director, adding that “celebrities getting involved does change the way people look at organic farming”. But he cautions that the starry connect shouldn’t dilute the main idea, of sustainable organic farming, especially with big players and big money coming into the picture.

In the Malayalam film industry, too, top actors like Mammootty and Srinivasan are trying to get the message across by getting back to their roots. The former practises natural paddy cultivation (using manure like green leaves and cow dung) in his 17 acres of land near Kottayam, in Kerala. He even drove a tractor and helped transplant saplings (pictures of which went viral a few years ago), to stress the point. Around the same time, a video of Srinivasan sowing seeds in his paddy field in Kandanad also took social media by storm. The actor later admitted that he hoped it would inspire more people to take up farming. “It is easy to buy organic vegetables and foods from the market, but we need to realise that we can grow them ourselves,” he had stated. This is a lesson we need to learn quickly. If stars can balance roles, red carpets and farming, it’s time we took pointers. If you need more inspiration, read on.
Kishore Kumar G, Karnataka
I am from a rural family, one that had its eyes set on the city. They wanted to come to the city for a better life and better opportunities. But my aim now is the opposite and they often call me mad for doing what I do,” chuckles the Kabali actor, who has an eight-acre farm near the Bannerghatta National Park. Recalling how, in the beginning, he only wanted to see yield, the 42-year-old admits that experience soon changed his stance. “When I saw the saplings I planted grow, my perception shifted. It’s such a matter of pride to see something you’ve nurtured grow that way, just like how you bring up kids,” he shares, adding, “My kids are still a little young, but I am letting them grow things on tiny patches of land so they inculcate the habit.” While the produce they harvested was initially for personal use, in 2012 they opened an organic store called Buffalo Back. “My wife, Vishala, is very proactive. The store, which aims to promote organic products, was her idea. We started off with a branch in Jaynagar and now we have an outlet in Malleshwaram, with more in the pipeline,” he says. While he hasn’t moved to the farmhouse yet, the actor—who has films like Vada Chennai, Kitna and Saatai 2 releasing soon—says they will do so by the end of the year. “Farming has changed me as a person. I’ve learnt a lot—simplicity, discipline. We have embraced a minimalist life. Life has become a lot easier now. Plus we’re self-sufficient,” he says
Pasupathy Ramasaamy Solai, Tamil Nadu
pasupathyFor the Aravaan actor, farming is a family project. On his three-acre land in Periyapalayam—which he bought for the simple reason that he wanted to grow and eat good food—everyone pitches in. “My wife is very interested in agriculture, my four-year-old helps out by pulling out weeds and harvesting small crops like coriander, even my personal assistant comes down often to help,” says the 47-year-old, whose self-sufficient model has inspired many fellow agriculturalists and farming enthusiasts to visit and emulate. For Pasupathy, his life is now about going back to the basics. He mostly grows local and indigenous plants and trees. “We started off with rice, chickpeas, legumes and pulses, and a lot of trees. We also have chicken, cows and fish. Whatever the household needs for a year is more or less grown here,” he states. Choosy about his work, the actor only takes a few projects, which gives him plenty of time to do what he enjoys. But when he does juggle roles, his wife takes over. “My wife (Suriya) is an architect, but she quit it to get into this full time. She handles everything and sometimes I feel like a visitor,” he laughs. Self-sufficient even when it comes to labour, he admits to hiring help at the farm only when the work is too much to handle by themselves. “Farming isn’t easy. It needs an attitude, a confidence and a lot of humility. If we want to see a change, we need to make it. The Gandhian philosophy says grow local food and eat local. I look at it as a way of life rather than a political principle,” he concludes.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Uttar Pradesh
nawazuddinIf there is ever a tale of rags-to-riches and balancing the high life and the slow, then Siddiqui’s is it. If you spot the 42-year-old walking the red carpet at Cannes and hobnobbing with tinseltown royalty on one day, just a few weeks later, you’ll find him in a tee and comfortable shoes, tilling the soil or harvesting tomatoes in his farms in UP. “It’s very relaxing. When you’re doing difficult characters and you go there and drive a tractor, it really keeps you grounded,” he says, adding, “When I’m there I wake up early, by 5 am; it’s not a city where we can sleep in.” He is often accompanied by his family and, while his wife Anjali isn’t too interested, his children are curious. “They’re too young to work or help around right now, but let’s see when they grow up, how they look at the place,” he smiles. Siddiqui, who harvests rice, wheat, millets and a whole host of vegetables (which he sends home and also sells at local markets), is most excited by a new irrigation system he will be introducing in a month. “When I was in Cannes last year (for Raman Raghav 2.0), I visited Nice and met a few filmmakers and farmers. They told me about their centre pivot irrigation (an overhead sprinkler system that is efficient and conserves water). I will be doing that in my farmland, so others can also make use of it. If you look at our villages, we use so much water. Our generation will manage, but what about the next?” he asks. The actor is also clear that when he finally bids adieu to the screen, he will return to the land because “it’s in my blood, there’s no running away from it”.
aududI was passionate about going back to my roots (my father had a farm in Karnataka). So I bought a few acres of land 10 years back and started planting trees. In the last four-five years, I’ve become a serious farmer, growing vegetables and grains. I’m currently working with agriculturalists like Bannur Krishnappa (Mysore) and Subhash Palekar (Maharashtra) to start seed banking at our nursery in Auroville, and encourage local species.—Prakash Raj, actor
salimI have been farming organically for 20 years. There’s no comfort like growing your own food, being healthy and self sufficient. However, the younger generation doesn’t always understand this. My own kids don’t have the interest. But at the end of the day, our land is our backbone and we should always find a way to go back to it.—Salim Kumar, actor
sundar-ramuI’ve just started learning the basics; I’m growing bananas, jackfruit and mango trees to begin with. Hopefully, someday everyone will have a little garden of their own. When we were in school, we were taught to grow our own produce—when you grow your food, you respect what you eat.—Sunder Ramu, actor-photographer
—with inputs from Lavanya Lakshminarayanan

SOURCE : http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/2016/sep/16/Actors-and-their-trysts-with-agriculture-1520209.html

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

हमें जीएम सरसों की जरूरत ही क्‍या है?

September 6, 2016 2:41 pm by देविंदर शर्मा

जेनेटिक तौर पर संवर्धित (जीएम) सरसों को व्‍यवसायिक मंजूरी देने का मामला टालेे जाने के 13 साल बाद यह जिन्‍न एक बार फिर बोतल से बाहर आ गया है। इस बार जीएम सरसों सरकारी भेष में व्‍यवसायिक खेती की मंंजूरी के लिए आई है। इस पर टैक्‍सपेयर का 70 करोड़ रुपया खर्च हुआ है, जिस पैसे से बहुत से स्‍कूल खुल सकते थे।

इस बार भी वही दावे हैं, वही भाषा है और हमारी आशंकाएं भी वही हैं। 13 साल पहले एग्रो-कैमिकल क्षेत्र की दिग्गज बहुराष्‍ट्रीय कंपनी बायर की सहायक प्रो-एग्रो सीड्स इंडिया लिमिटेड ने दावा किया था कि उसकी जीएम सरसों वैरायटी में चार विदेशी जीन हैं जो सरसों की उत्‍पादकता 20-25 फीसदी तक बढ़ा सकतेे हैंं और तेल की गुणवत्‍ता भी सुधरेगी। नई जीएम सरसों को दिल्‍ली यूनिवर्सिटी के सेंटर फॉर जेनेटिक मैनिपुलेशन ऑफ क्रॉप प्‍लांट्स ने विकसित किया है जिसमें तीन विदेशी जीन – बार, बारनेस और बारस्‍टार हैं। इस बार भी जीएम सरसों को लेकर वैसेे ही दावे किए जा रहे हैं जैसेे प्रो-एग्रो सीड्स ने किये थे। जीएम सरसों के ये दोनों पैरोकार, पहले प्रो-एग्रो सीड्स इंडिया प्राइवेट लिमिटेड और अब दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय, हर्बिसाइड रिज़िस्टेेन्स यानी खरपतवार प्रतिरोध होने से इंकार करतेे हैं जबकि दोनों ने इसके लिए ज्ञात जीन का इस्‍तेमाल किया है।

जीएम समर्थन और तथ्‍यों से खिलवाड़

भारत हर साल करीब 60 हजार करोड़ रुपये के खाद्य तेलों का आयात करता है इसलिए तत्‍काल सरसों का उत्‍पादन बढ़ाना जरूरी है। खाद्य तेेलों का उत्‍पादन बढ़ेने से विदेशी मुद्रा की बचत होगी। इस विषय पर कई परिचर्चाओं और सर्वजनिक बहसों में मैंने दिल्‍ली यूनिवर्सिटी के पूर्व कुलपति और नई जीएम सरसों विकसित करने वालों में अग्रणी डॉ. दीपक पेंटल को बार-बार जोर देते हुए सुना कि खाद्य तेलों के आयात पर खर्च हो रही विदेशी मुद्रा में कटौती की आवश्‍यकता हैै और भारत जैसे विकासशील देश के लिए यह कितनी बड़ी बचत होगी! यह बिल्‍कुल वही दावा है जो 13 साल पहले प्रो-एग्रो की जीएम सरसों के पैरोकार किया करते थे। उस समय खाद्य तेलों का आयात घरेलू खपत का करीब 50 फीसदी था, जिस पर 12 हजार करोड़ रुपयेे खर्च होते थे।
कोई भी पढ़ा-लिखा व्‍यक्ति इस बात से सहमत होगा कि खाद्य तेलों के आयात पर होने वाले भारी खर्च में कमी आनी चाहिए। लेकिन जीएम लॉबी ने बड़ी चतुराई से इस तर्क का इस्‍तेमाल यह आभास दिलाने में किया है जैसे सरसों के उत्‍पादन में कमी की वजह से ही खाद्य तेलों का इतना अधिक आयात करना पड़ता है। जबकि असलियत में ऐसा नहीं है। खाद्य तेल के इतनी अधिक मात्रा में आयात के पीछे कई और भी कारण हैं। मिसाल के तौर पर, पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री राजीव गांधी देश के बढ़ते आयात को लेकर चिंतित रहते थे। वह चालू खाते के घाटे को कम करने को बेताब थे। उस समय ईंधन, उर्वरक और खाद्य तेल का सबसे ज्‍यादा आयात होता था। खाद्य तेलों का सालाना आयात 1500 से 3000 हजार करोड़ रुपए के आसपास रहता था। यह बात समझते हुए कि भारत में घरेलू तिलहन उत्‍पादन बढ़ाने की क्षमता है और खाद्य तेलों का आयात कम किया जा सकता है उन्‍होंने 1985 में तिलहन में एक प्रौद्योगिकी मिशन आरंभ किया।
दस साल से भी कम समय यानी 1986 से 1993 के बीच देश में तिलहन उत्पादन दोगुना हो गया जो उल्लेखनीय वृद्धि है। खाद्य तेल आयात करने वाला भारत इस मामले लगभग आत्मनिर्भर हो गया। खाद्य तेल में देश की 97 प्रतिशत आत्मनिर्भरता थी और मात्र 3 फीसदी तेल आयात करने की जरूरत रह गई थी। लेकिन कुछ साल बाद भारत ने जानबूझकर आयात शुल्क घटाना शुरू किया और सस्ते व सब्सिडी वाले खाद्य तेल के बाजार में आने का रास्‍ता खोल दिया। जैसे-जैसे खाद्य तेल का आयात बढ़ा घरेलू ऑयल प्रोसेसिंग उद्योग बंद होते गए।
दरअसल खाद्य तेलों के आयात पर खर्च बढ़ने का कारण तिलहन के उत्पादन में गिरावट नहीं है। बल्कि यह सब आयात नीति की खामियों का नतीजा है। विदेशी खाद्य तेलों पर आयात शुल्क को लगभग शून्य़ कर दिया गया जबकि यह 70 फीसदी या इससे भी ज्‍यादा होना चाहिए था। (डब्ल्यूटीओ भारत को खाद्य तेलों पर आयात शुल्क अधिकतम 300 प्रतिशत करने की अनुमति देता है)। तिलहन का सही दाम और बाजार मुहैया कराया जाता तो हमारे किसान तेल की सारी कमी दूर कर देते।
दावा किया जा रहा है कि जीएम सरसों से उत्पादन में 20 से 25 फीसदी तक बढ़ोतरी होगी। यह एकदम बेतुुकी बात है। कहना पड़ेगा कि इस दावे के पीछे स्‍वार्थ निहित हैं। पहली बात तो यह है कि ऐसा कोई ज्ञात जीन (या जीन समूह) नहीं है जो उत्पादकता बढ़ा सकता है। दूसरी बात, कोई भी जीएम वैरायटी उतनी ही अच्छी होती है जितनी संकर किस्म जिसमें विदेशी जीन डाला जाता है। यदि कोई जीन संकरण की प्रक्रिया को सरल करता है तो इसका यह अर्थ नहीं कि वह उत्पादकता बढ़ा देगा।
पिछले 13 वर्षों में मैंने उपलब्ध सरसों के तेल की गुणवत्ता से कोई शिकायत नहीं सुनी है। हमारे देश में पारंपरिक रूप से सरसों का इस्तेमाल भोजन के लिए किया जाता है। इसकी पत्तियों को सरसों का साग के रूप में पकाया जाता है। इसलिए सरसों को केवल खाद्य तेल के रूप में ही नहीं देखा जाना चाहिए। मैं कभी-कभी सरसों तेल का उपयोग कान और नाक के रोगों के उपचार और शरीर की मालिश के लिए भी करता हूं। इसके अलावा सरसों के तेल का उपयोग पारंपरिक चिकित्सा में भी किया जाता है। इसलिए बीटी बैंगन पर रोक लगाते हुए 2010 में पर्यावरण एवं वन मंत्रालय द्वारा व्‍यक्‍त की गई चिंताओं और जीएम फसलों पर संसद की स्थायी समिति की रिपोर्ट व सुप्रीम कोर्ट की तकनीकी समिति की सिफारिशों का पूरी तरह पालन करना आवश्यरक है।
मुझे समझ नहीं आ रहा है कि जेनेटिक इंजीनियरिंग अप्रेजल कमेटी (जीईएसी) पूर्व पर्यावरण मंत्री जयराम रमेश द्वारा जीएम फसलों पर रोक के समय पेश की गई 19 पेजों की रिपोर्ट को नतीजों को दरकिनार क्यों कर रही है? क्या जीएम इंडस्‍ट्री इतनी ताकतवर है कि जीईएसी एक पूर्व मंत्री के नेतृत्व में आरंभ हुई एक वैज्ञानिक बहस को नजरअंदाज कर देना चाहती है? जीएम सरसों का कोई प्रत्‍यक्ष लाभ न होने के बावजूद स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य और पर्यावरण से जुड़ी चिंताओं की ऐसी अनदेखी?
—————————————-
(देविंदर शर्मा कृषि और खाद्य नीति से जुड़े मामलों के जाने-माने विशेषज्ञ हैं।)
यहां प्रस्‍तुत लेख मूलत: biospectrum पत्रिका में प्रकाशित हुआ था जो यहां पढ़ा जा सकता है
SOURCE : http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/views/223161/why-india-gm-mustard