mrunal explained_ biosafety & genetically modified food, india's stand

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[Biosafety] Genetically Modified Crops, Bt-Brinjal,Cartagena & Nagoya Protocol: Meaning, Issues

Posted By On 24/08/2012 @ 6:42 am In Z-Miscellaneous | Comments Disabled

What are DNA and Gene?1. What are Transgenics?2. Why do we need GM technology?3. Current issue:4. Recommendations of the committee:5. What is this GEAC:6. Procedure to accord approval:7. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)8. Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB)9. Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)10.

What are DNA and Gene?

Always a human gives birth to humans, and a baby is said to inherithis/her parents characters. This is made possible only because of the socalled genes. Genes are the books where all your personal, familycharacters are coded passed on to you from your parents.DNA is a polymer of nucleic acid specifically deoxyribonucleic acid whichis in turn is comprised of sugar component and nitrogenous base.thereare 4 type of nitrogenous base that is adenine , guanine, cytosine andthiamine. It is the sequence of theses nitogenous bases that determineour genetic charecter. [courtsey- Riteshs comment]DNA aids in protein synthesis.Their expression gives you characters.

What are Transgenics?

Scientists have now mapped, analyzed these genes of various plants andanimals. i.e., understood the ABC of gene make upHere now they are capable of manually rearranging these genes,inserting a part, deleting one changing the way one behaves, like stuntedcoconut trees giving coconuts at your arms stretch.Such organisms are called TRANSGENICS, transformed geneticmake-up.

Why do we need GM technology?

Already a population of 7 billion and growing energetically.3% increase in agri production needed to ensure food security to this

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population, while current growth rate is only 2%.Stress on land resource already huge- use of insecticides, pesticides.27% of worlds undernourished people proudly are Indians- Urgent needto feed those hungry mouths. Else National shame will be the result- asour PM remarked on the HUNGAMA report.

To address above problems GM aids the development of specific traits in cropslike:

Herbicide resistance1. Pest resistance2. Viral resistance3. slow-ripening4. Fungal and bacterial resistance5. Quality improvement (protein and oil)6. Value addition (Vitamins, micro-and macro-elements)7.

Ok then let us move quick into this akshayapaatra Hold on, every coin has onemore side:

Biosafety first concernDirect health effects (toxicity)The stability of the inserted geneNutritional effect associated with genetic modificationAny unintended effects which could result from the gene Insertion.Autonomy of farmers affected because the seeds of these tech crops aremonopolized and are marketed by big private firms. If he is unable/doesnot provide us the requisite seeds, we have a problem.Genetic erosion of our local varieties.

Current issue:

In India it all started with Bt cotton and Bt Brinjal, regarding control,regulation, marketing production, safety of such crops.


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Here the Bt refers to Bacillus thuringenesis soil bacterium from which thegenes are introduced in to the native cotton and brinjal varieties.The gene gave an expression in cotton which produced a protein in thecotton crop that was toxic to the boll worms and stem borers (pests) i.e.,pest resistant variety.Now the issue with us already with many political parties, farmerscomplaining introduction such GM cotton, Brinjal(stopped after initialintro) as the cause for increasing farmer suicides in Karnataka, Vidharbharegion. High input cost of seeds, genetic erosion of local varieties,farmers dependence on private seed cos are said to be the reasons.

In this scenario our parliamentary committee on Agriculture has submitted areport on CULTIVATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD CROPS PROSPECTS AND EFFECTS

Recommendations of the committee:

No GM food trials, till a stronger regulatory system is established.Current regulation by GEAC (Genetic Engineering appraisal committee)flawed, GEAC under dept. of Biotech which has one of its aims to spreadmodern biotech. One cannot regulate his own product is the reportsview.Farmers of cotton already under strain, new Bt cotton seeds areexpensive, input costs high, yet farmers are left with zero choice.Strict labeling giving choice for consumers to know what they buy ismust. Especially imported foods are now a concern.

What is this GEAC?:

Established under MoEF,GEAC is the apex body to accord approval of activities involving largescale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in researchand industrial production from the environmental angle.GEAC is also responsible for granting approvals relating to release ofgenetically engineered organisms and products into the environmentincluding experimental field trials.The GEAC also has the powers to prohibit, revoke, supervise and takepunitive action in case of non-compliance, furnishing of wrong informationor in case of any damage to the environment.

Procedure to accord approval:

laboratory and greenhouse experiment,1. open field trials for generation of biosafety data,2. commercialization and market approval3. Large scale production.4. International conventions related to this:5. The committee report passes references to all these conventions.6.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)


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CBD is a legally binding agreement adopted during Rio Earth Summit in1992. India signed the CBD and ratified Convention on biologicaldiversity. USA is not a party to this Convention.While reaffirming sovereign rights of nations over their natural resources,this Convention establishes three goals: conservation of biologicaldiversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitablesharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.India is hosting CoP-11 to the CBD to be held in Hyderabad in October2012, which is the year of 20th anniversary of Rio Earth Summit is anadded information.

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB)

The CPB, the first international regulatory framework for safe transfer,handling and use of LMOs(living modified organisms) signed on 2000.India has acceded to this Biosafety Protocol.Difference between LMO and GMO is that GMO is a broader termincluding LMOs within it, all organisms live, dead whose genes aremodified are GMOs but LMO as the name suggests are living organismswhich are genetically modified.The objective of the Protocol is to contribute to ensuring an adequatelevel of protection in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use ofLMOs resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverseeffects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity,taking also into account risks to human health, and specifically focusingon trans-boundary movements.As a Party to the Protocol, the first and foremost requirement is thesetting up of a National Biosafety Regulatory Framework India hasintroduced the national biosafety rules even before the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) was adopted at Rio de Janeiro in 1992.Even though the text of the Protocol has been adopted, several criticalissues such as risk assessment, liability and redress, documentation andidentification of LMOS for Food Feed and Processing etc., are still underdiscussion.

Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)

The CoP-10 to the CBD held in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010 adoptedthe Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing .India is amegadiverse country rich in biodiversity and associated traditionalknowledge. Hence, implementation of the ABS provisions of CBD is ofspecial interest to us.The objective of Nagoya Protocol is the fair and equitable sharing ofbenefits arising from utilization of genetic resources. The Protocolestablishes a clear framework on how researchers and companies canobtain access to genetic resources and to associated traditionalknowledge, and how benefits arising from the use of such material orknowledge will be shared with locals.The ABS Protocol is expected to address the concerns of biodiversity richcountries such as India relating to misappropriation of genetic resources


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and associated traditional knowledge.

This was a guest article by Manikandan Soundararajan

Reference: CULTIVATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD CROPS PROSPECTS AND EFFECTS-BASUDEB ACHARIA (chairman)

Article printed from Mrunal: http://mrunal.org

URL to article: http://mrunal.org/2012/08/sci-gm-crop.html

Copyright 2014 Mrunal. All rights reserved.


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mrunal explained_ biosafety & genetically modified food, india's stand

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