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Thought for food
(Sunday, April 4, 2004 -- CropChoice guest commentary) -- Devinder Sharma op-ed in Times of India, 04/01/04: Opinion is divided on whether genetic engineering and genetically modified
(GM) crops offer a solution to hunger in the developing countries. Devinder
Sharma , a visiting fellow at the International Rice Research Institute and
Cambridge University, tells Aditi Kapoor that GM technology will not make
food cheaper or more nutritious for the South:
Will GM food reduce hunger in developing countries like India ?
If hunger could be addressed by techno-logy, green revolution would have
done it long ago. The fact is that hunger has grown in India in absolute
terms — some 320 million people go to bed hungry every night. Two years
back, India had a record foodgrain surplus of 65 million tonnes. If 65
million tonnes surplus could not feed the 320 million hungry, how will GM
food remove hunger? In reality, GM food diverts precious financial resources
to an irrelevant research, comes with stronger intellectual property rights,
and is aimed at strengthening corporate control over agriculture.
But what about malnutrition? Crops like golden rice can help remove
blindness.
This again is the result of misplaced thinking. There are 12 million people
in India who suffer from Vitamin A deficiency. These people primarily live
in food deficit areas or are marginalised. These are people who cannot buy
their normal requirement of food, including rice. If they were adequately
fed, there would be no malnutrition. If the poor in Kalahandi, for instance,
can’t buy rice that lies rotting in front of their eyes, how will they buy
golden rice?
Then why is the Indian government experimenting with GM crops and foods?
For two reasons: First, India is under tremendous pressure from the
biotechnology industry to allow GM crops. These companies have the financial
resources to mobilise scientific opinion as well as political support.
Second, agricultural scientists are using biotechnology as a Trojan horse.
With nothing to show by way of scientific breakthrough in the past three
decades, GM research will ensure livelihood security for the scientists.
What GM crops and food items is India experimenting with?
Besides cotton, genetic engineering experiments are being conducted on
maize, mustard, sugarcane, sorghum, pigeonpea, chickpea, rice, tomato,
brinjal, potato, banana, papaya, cauliflower, oilseeds, castor, soyabean and
medicinal plants. Experiments are also underway on several species of fish.
In fact, such is the desperation that scientists are trying to insert Bt
gene into any crop they can lay their hands on, not knowing whether this is
desirable or not.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/593215.cms | |
