Ahmedabad, Feb 02: India needs changes in existing
policies and a political will to stop the invasion of
genetically modified (GM) products, said Fellow from the World
Health Organisation (WHO), Canada in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Dr Shiv Chopra, former scientific advisor to the Candian
Ministry of Health said that the option of not to utilize GM
products cannot be left solely with the farmers, with multi
national companies knocking at their doors with lucrative
profit-making offers.
"There has to be critical introspection of the safety
of using GM products. Particularly, it needs change in the
present policies, legislations and its enforcement," Chopra
said while delivering the 23rd Kamalnayan Bajaj Memorial
Lecture at the Gujarat Vidhyapeeth here.
Chopra said use of GM products by the farmers in the
US and Canada have affected the natural food cycle and led to
degradation of land, under ground water levels, reproductive
cycles of birds, animals and to some extent human beings.
According to Chopra GM products were initially
manufactured in the early 90s' by injecting synthetic hormones
into seeds and animals to make them more productive. It was
used on a large-scale in the US and Canada over the years
which has destroyed the natural food cycle, he added.
Chopra believes that the only alternative GM product is to stick to well tested natural methods of farming without
chemicals fertilizers and pesticides.
"Introduction of hormones, antibiotics, slaughterhouse
waste, genetically modified organisms and pesticides should be
eliminated from being introduced in the food, plant or
animals," Chopra said. Chopra said political voices against the GM products would make better impact, as politicians can be helpful in molding public opinion.
Chopra also expressed his anguish at the opinions
expressed by the Union health minister and the union
agriculture minister on the use of GM products in India.
"The opinion of the two ministers is at variance with
each other. While the health minister is avowedly opposed to
GM products for agriculture proposes, while the agriculture
minister is all for it," Chopra said.
"The same applies to their advisors at the various
agricultural and veterinary institutions, presumably the
national planning commission and some state governments," he
added.
Chopra criticised the Gujarat government for encouraging
Bt cotton in the state.
He said that on the outside picture appears to be glossy,
but in the long term these GM product will degrade the soil
and the cause damage to the ecosystem.
Bureau Report