BT BRINJAL + BT COTTON + Aquatic Ecology + Agri GDP Growth Forecast

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In This NEWS Bulletin ******************************* On GMOs- 1. Consumers, Scientists & NGOs Oppose Bt Brinjal Field Trials 2. Bt Cotton Wilting In Andhra Pradesh 3. FARM FRONT Column Criticises Industrial Aquaculture & Trade - Calls For Conservation Of Coastal Ecology 4. Planning Commission Says 4% GDP Growth Rate In Farm Sector Not Possible Due To Constraints In Supply & Demand Side 5. Govt Calls For More Forest Cover, Trees 6 India Seeks Import Norms For New Fish Species ----------------------------- Bt brinjal faces consumers, scientists wrath http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=140123 ASHOK B SHARMA

Posted online: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, SEPT 11: There seems to be more troubles ahead for the country’s first transgenic food crop, Bt brinjal. Several consumer groups across the country have now come forward to oppose the proposed largescale field trials of Bt brinjal. They found support from an eminent molecular biologist, Puspha M Bhargava who criticised the veracity of risk assessment of transgenic crops in the country. The consumer groups bid to prevent the proposed largescale field trials comes in wake of the reported contamination of US rice exports due to the field trials of Bayer’s genetically modified (GM) in that country. EU and Japan has imposed ban on the contaminated rice from the US. Also there are reported cases of food contamination in France, Germany and the UK due to imports from China, where the GM

rice under field trials have contaminated other food crops. In this context, the consumer groups including Mumbai-based Consumer Guidance Society of India, Consumer Co-ordination Council, Delhi-based Voluntary Organisation for Consumer Education also urged the government to prohibit entry of unapproved GM food into the country and ask for mandatory labeling on imports so that no traces of unapproved GM materials enter the country. Rotted Brinjal • Consumer groups get eminent molecular biologist Puspha M Bhargava’s support who criticised the veracity of risk assessment of transgenic crops like Bt brinjal in India• GEAC had earlier appointed a 13-member panel to review the proposed field trials of Bt brinjal Earlier faced with a barrage of opposition from the NGOs, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) decided to appoint a 13-member inhouse panel to review the case for the

proposed field trials of Bt brinjal. Now with reputed consumer groups raising objections to the field trials, the GEAC will have a harder nut to crack. The founder director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and vice chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, Pushpa M Bhargava said, “Risk assessment protocols for transgenic crops are weak across the world. There is absolutely no case for approval for field trials of Bt Brinjal. The risk assessment data provided by the producer of the crop, Mahyco and Monsanto, are extremely suspected. The only third party to have done a risk assessment is Intox Laboratory, which is not accredited.” Greenpeace India’s Divya Raghunandan said, “There is a need to ban GM crops in India, including Bt cotton, if we are to keep our food safe from contamination.”-------------- Crop wilting: new battle for Andhra’s cotton

growers http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=140124 BV MAHALAKSHMI Posted online: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 0000 hours IST HYDERABAD, SEPT 11: After the cattle-battle issue with Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh, farmers are now facing another battle - wilting. In Nalgonda district, farmers are uprooting Bt cotton plants as they are dying due to wilt. It is learnt that in Bhongir mandal of Nalgonda, the farmers have uprooted Bt cotton plants from 41 acres out of the 51 acres planted. This has created a panic among cotton farmers across the state as it has started spreading to the surrounding farms too. Farmers complain that the plants are slowly dying because the root system is severely

decomposed without any secondary and tertiary roots on the main root system. Even the bolls formed on these wilted plants did not bear any seeds. Hence, farmers decided to uproot this crop and make the best use of the remaining part of the agricultural season by sowing coriander with the onset of rains, PV Satheesh, convenor, AP Coalition In Defence of Diversity, said. The state’s farmers had already spent about Rs 5,000 - Rs 7,000 per acre on various operations like land preparation, seed and fertiliser costs and plant protection costs to save their crops from sucking pests. However, the cause for wilting during this season is yet to be ascertained, pointed out agriculture department officials. According to MA Qayum, retired joint director of agriculture, who visited these fields in Nalgonda to assess the extent of damage, the disease is caused by a soil borne fungus called ‘Rhizoctonia’, which affects the

root system causing the plant to wilt from top to down. Hitherto, cotton farmers in the state had never faced this problem, he added. Further, a team of agricultural scientists from the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University visited some of the affected fields. The team confirmed the presence of low-to-moderate incidence of thrips in Bt cotton fields and dry root rot and bacterial leaf blight (BLB)on cotton fields. The team even anticipated spreading of the BLB and root rot in cotton with the receipt of rains, and provided some immediate remedial measures. However, these measures are yet to boost confidence among farmers.------------------------------- FARM FRONT Column Improve coastal and aquatic ecology http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=140014 ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Monday, September 11, 2006 at 0000 hours IST Striking a balance between ecological conservation and trade is a difficult task. This is more relevant to modern aquaculture. Modern industrial aquaculture is more trade-oriented and has less elements of ecological conservation. It has a displaced number of traditional fishermen who are out of their livelihood. Industrial aquaculture has no doubt resulted in increased number of catches, notching up figures in the so-called “growth economy,” but its fallouts like pollution of sea water, depletion of marine resources, destruction of coastal ecology and displacement of livelihood of traditional fisherfolk cannot be ignored. Despite this, the advocates of industrial aquaculture try to present their point by saying

that it serves the interests of global food security. The global fish catches (including aquaculture and inland fishery) have increased to 101 million tonne in 2002 from 96.3 million tonne in 2001. The world fish catches have tripled from 28 million tonne in 1961 to 96.3 million tonne in 2001 to keep up with the population growth, rapid urbanisation and rising per capita income. Some experts have projected that the global fish catches should improve to 121 million tonne by 2010 to match up to the growing demand. Marine aquaculture catches form a major part of the total fish catches. Marine resources of the most northern oceans are depleted. The burden of feeding the world, therefore, rests on southern waters. Asia contributed 90% to the world aquaculture catches of 54.8 million tonne in 2003. India’s contribu-tion to the world fish production was 4.4% amounting to 6.30 million tonne (2.8 million tonne of

marine and 3.5 million tonne of inland fishes). Most of India’s marine catches are for exports amounting to around $ 1644 million in value terms. Though on a global scale, consumption of marine fish is more but the case is different in India. In India, inland fish is preferred except in few coastal regions. Inland fishes cultured in fresh water are more hygenic than sea fishes, which have the presence of heavy metals and are saline in taste. However industrial aquaculture has gained a momentum in India since the last decade with government extending enough patronage. The results were destruction of coastal mangrove cover and soil salinity. The government realised the importance of the coastal ecology when the deadly Tsunami of December 2004 struck the eastern coast leading to heavy losses in life and property. India is joining the mad race in

industrial aquaculture not for ensuring its own food security, but for a few million dollar earning in foreign exchange. The export earnings do not match with the collosal loss due to destruction of ecology. Shrimps which were the common food of the rural poor in coastal areas have become out of their reach. Due to commercialisation of marine products, the coastal poor who used earlier get shrimp at about Rs 12 a kg now has to pay a hefty sum of over Rs 500 a kg! The inter-governmental organisations like FAO, too are emphasising the need for improving marine catches with scant regard to the ecological loss. However, FAO in its report entitled State of World Aquaculture-2006 has expressed some concerns for the ecological loss and the need to switch over to eco friendly technologies. With a view to replenish the depleted marine resource a new concept has arisen to

introduce exotic species in different aquatic eco-systems. This may bring in hitherto unknown pathogens in the concerned waters. The best way is conserve the aquatic eco-systems and replenish its own stock, which would be sufficient to meet the global food security needs.--- 4% agri GDPgrowth is difficult: Plan panel http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=140107 ASHOK B SHARMA Posted online: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, SEPT 11: The Planning Commission has admitted that boosting GDP growth in agriculture to 4% in the 11th Plan period is difficult, given the constraints in both demand and supply. Agriculture GDP which

also includes forestry and fishery grew at 1% per annum in the first three years of the previous Plan period. Even the most optimistic projections for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 would limit growth in farm GDP to below 2% in the full Plan period. On the demand side, the Plan panel noted that farmers faced adverse conditions. The prices received by farmers for farm produce failed to keep pace with the costs or the general price level and as a consequence profitability declined. Therefore, several modelling exercises suggest that a growth of 4% in agriculture would not be sustainable from the demand side unless aggregate GDP growth is much higher than 8% Dwelling on the supply side constraints, the Plan panel noted the bleak possibility of a dramatic technological breakthrough comparable to the Green Revolution. It suggested that there is a need for increasing productivity in cereals,

pulses and oilseeds. To overcome supply side constraints, the Plan panel felt that the government schemes of providing rural connectivity, schools, health facilities, employment guarantees may boost growth. Processing units can attract corporate investment. To overcome the demand side constraints diversification was suggested .------------------------------ Govt calls for more forest cover, trees http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=139500 ASHOK B SHARMAECONOMY BUREAUPosted online : Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, SEPT 5 : The Centre will make the best use of Rs 1000 crore allocated by the 12th finance commission to increase

the forest and tree cover to a desired level of 33%. Steps will also be taken for conservation of the existing forest area. Inaugurating a two-day conference of principal chief conservators of forests and chief wildlife wardens in the Capital, environment and forests minster A Raja said,"different stakeholders would be involved for greening wastelands." He further said efforts were on to persuade other land-owing ministries to earmark 2% of their budgetary allocation for planting trees. About 25% of plan outlay, earmarked for rural employment scheme, shall be devoted for planting trees and conserving forest cover. Raja urged the state governments to compliment the efforts of the central government in their own way. He pointed out that there was a call for "people-centred action plan" across the world, in the wake of increasing ecological movement

and said that forestry was caughted between multiple demands - ranging from livelihood concerns of the locals to development aspiration of the national psyche. Raja defended the role of the forest departments and said, "it is striking a balance between the two goals." He informed that Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 has been amended for setting up of the Tiger Conservation Authority and a National Wildlife Crime Bureau. ------------------------------- India seeks import norms for fish species http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=139378 ASHOK B SHARMA ECONOMY BUREAU Posted online : Tuesday, September 5, 2006 at 0000 hours IST NEW DELHI, SEPT

4: India on Monday urged the UN food and agriculture organisation (FAO) to set guidelines for import of new species of fish and their strains, keeping in mind the bio-security aspect of aquaculture. The agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, while inaugurating the meeting of Fao aquaculture panel in the Capital on Monday called upon Fao to formulate a country specific approach for conducting risk analysis in aquaculture, while enhancing global fish output to 210 million tonne by 2010. “The potential and real impacts of introducing new species into the aquatic eco-systems have been a subject of major debates worldwide,” he said, urging the world body “to set guidelines with simplified procedure of risk analysis process.” He said risk analysis for pathogens of aquatic animal was a relatively new field for most of the

countries.---------

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