Bt Bringal…health and food safety…agricultural independence…biodiversity, are all intertwined

Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) Brinjal has now become a subject of intensive debate for various important reasons. Bt Bringal is a genetically modified strain of Brinjal, developed by the premier seed company in India Mahyco in collaboration with the American major Monsanto. The main claim of such seed varieties is improving yield by protecting the crop from the pests.
The key concerns related to products like Bt Brinjals are in the following areas:

1. Health and Food Safety

2. Dependence on overseas companies year after year for agricultural products

3. Compromising ‘biodiversity’

4. Effectiveness of Bt products

Health and Food Safety:

The main focus of the debate revolves round the health and food safety concerns with such biotech food products. Environmentalists point out that the genetically modified foods while fed on rats have already shown fatal kidney and lung disorders.

Gilles-Eric Seralini, a French scientist has opined that the tests conducted by Mahyco for Bt Brinjal are unsustainable and would raise very serious health and food safety concerns.

Adverse safety results with Bt cotton, like respiratory tract related problems, skin allergy, immunological disorders etc., from many countries of the world further aggravate the health and food safety concerns with Bt Brinjal. Many experts have opined, as mentioned above, that such disorders could lead to even death with long term use of these products. It will perhaps be imprudent on the part of the civil society to take such ‘public health’ concerns lightly.

Alleged bias by GEAC:

Besides, health and food safety concerns many activists feel that the initial approval of Bt Bringal by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) raises a suspicion of bias towards overseas Bt seed manufacturing companies.

Could it lead to Agriculture dependence on overseas companies?

Another important point that needs to be deliberated by all concerned is the impact of such technology producing ‘terminator gene’. Many apprehend that such a move by India could pose a threat to the agriculture of the country over a period of time, with Indian farmers buying these costlier varieties of seeds from the overseas companies year after year and being dependent on them for the same.

Since India does not recognize patents on life-forms, farmers will be required to pay a type of royalty to the manufacturer, usually known as ‘Trait Fee’. Such fees used to be levied for Bt cotton seeds. However, on this type of fees, in response to a petition filed by farmers in Andhra Pradesh against an international manufacturer and supplier, Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) gave its ruling in 2006, which is as follows:

“The trait fee being charged by the respondent not only imposes unjustified costs on the farmers by way of manipulation of prices but is also unreasonable in view of lack of competition.”

Many experts feel that such anti-competitive practices involving food products could lead to a different type of dependence on the overseas suppliers of Bt seeds, even if such products are found safe.

Further, concerns related to the control of such seeds and the lack of investment in the public sector for biotech research in this area should be urgently addressed.

The concern related to ‘Biodiversity’:

There is also another important concern related to ‘Biodiversity’. It has been reported that around 2500 varieties of Brinjal are available in India. Brinjal being a plant resulting from cross pollination, entry of Bt.Bringal could lead to genetic contamination affecting existence of many such locally grown varieties raising the contentious issue of ‘biodiversity’.

In the context of Bt Bringal, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India has recently issued a statement, as follows:

“It was agreed that biotechnology is an important option for higher agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. At the same time, we must ensure that it has no adverse effects on human and animal health and bio-diversity.”

“Keeping this in mind, the government will soon be moving forward in setting up a National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority which will inspire confidence and stimulate public and private investment in biotechnology.”

If ‘Food security’ is the issue, why choose Bt Brinjal?

However, if Bt products will help the nation to address the ‘food security’ issue, the question that will logically emerge, “why then Bt Brinjal?”

As far as I know, India is one of the largest producers of Brinjal in the world with so many varieties of it and there is no shortage of Brinjal in the country either. Thus ‘Food Security’ could hardly be an issue, at least in this case.

Effectiveness of Bt products:

We all have read the media reports related to many incidences of mass suicides by Indian farmers due to crop failures with Bt Cotton. The effectiveness claimed by the manufacturers of Bt cotton is now shrouded with doubts. The following report from ‘The Times of India’ dated March 7, 2010 vindicates this point:

“Bt cotton failed to thwart pests in Gujarat”. Monsanto also concedes, “During field monitoring in 2009, the Bt cotton variety used in four Gujarat districts – Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot was found to attract the pink bollworm, a major pest that attacks cotton plantations”.

Such reports further strengthen the argument of the Environment Minister of India, Mr. Jairam Ramesh that Bt seed varieties should be evaluated with utmost care and precision before nationwide operationalization, for the reasons mentioned above.

Conclusion:

Be that as it may, I believe that uncontrolled entry of Bt products should NOT be encouraged in India without:

- Proper knowledge of their serious adverse effects on human and animal health on long term consumption

- Having scientific proof on their long term effectiveness

- Protecting agricultural independence of the country

- Encouraging indigenous biotech research in this field

- Satisfactorily addressing the concern related to ‘biodiversity’ of the nation.

By Tapan Ray

Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own, written in my individual and personal capacity. I do not represent any other person or organization for this opinion.

IPR, Biodiversity and India

The issue of conservation of the biological resources of a country, whether these are local crops or useful plant varieties, available in remote areas of the country, has become a subject of debate in the paradigm of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The use of local knowledge and the traditional use of these biological resources are interwoven in the cultural milieu of a region.

Two major international agreements:

Following two major international agreements deal with this issue:

1. The Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD)

2. Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

It is worth mentioning that countries like, India, Mexico, Philippines, Peru etc, are coming up with the local country-specific legislation to effectively deal with this issue.

Experts’ Views:

Many experts suggest that IPR may be judiciously used to effectively protect the biological resources. Such use of IPR may range from preventing misappropriation to significant increase in utilization of various resources and investments towards their conservation.

However, others express quite a different view, voicing that the IPR system may work against conservation of biological resources by ‘undermining the knowledge system, culture and social structure.’

Recently there was a suggestion that each country should take some well articulated legal steps to conserve its precious biological resources. It must ensure that only those steps, which are compatible with the concept of ownership and the value system of the local population, are to be taken into account during IPR system of negotiation, related to such biological resources. These experts argue that an IPR system must support appropriate conservation through effective management of biodiversity.

There is yet another totally different school of thought leaders, who nurture a very strong view, which is as follows:

“The history of IPRs shows that the monopolistic hold of governments, corporations and some individuals over biological resources and related knowledge is continuously increasing. A substantial amount of this monopolisation is built upon, and through the appropriation of, the resources conserved and knowledge generated by indigenous and local communities.”

Some IPR related ‘scandals’ in this area:

Activities like the following, which are treated as IPR related scandals keep sending shock waves to many:

1. A Patent was granted vide the US Patent No. 5,401,504, to the healing properties of the ancient Indian herbal remedies turmeric ,which is a traditional knowledge to the Indians, since many centuries.

2. A Patent was granted vide the US Patent No. 5,663,484 to varieties of Basmati rice grown traditionally in both North India and Pakistan.

3. A Patent was granted vide the US Patent No. 5,397,696 to human cell line (human genetic material) of a Hagahai tribesman from Papua New Guinea.

These are just illustrative examples and not exhaustive.

Steps taken by some developing countries:

Alarmed by all these developments, some of the developing countries of the world are seriously contemplating the following:

1. Preventing indigenous traditional knowledge from being “pirated” with IPR claims driven solely by commercial interests.

2. Restricting access to biological resources with appropriate regulatory measures.

Measures taken by India:

A. Legal measures have now been taken by India to address this issue:

1. New plant varieties can now be protected in India under the New Plant Variety and Farmers Rights Protection Actin 2001 and cannot be protected through patents.

2. Protection of ‘Geographical Indications (GI)’, which identify goods as originating in the territory of a member or a region or a locality in that territory, where a given quality reputation or other characteristics of the goods is attributable to their geographical origin.

4. For registration of GI, all applicants will require applying in writing to the Registrar for the registration of such indications.

B. Following GIs cannot be registered in India :

• Use of which would be likely to deceive or cause confusion or contrary to any law.

• Comprising or containing scandalous or obscene matter or any matter likely to hurt religion susceptibility of any class or section of citizens of India.

• Which would otherwise be disentitled to protection in a court.

• Which are determined to be in generic names and are not or ceased to be protected in their country of origin or which have fallen into disuse in that country.

• Which, although literally true as to the territory, region or locality in which the goods originate, but falsely represent to the persons that the goods originate in another territory, region or locality.

C. Punishment for falsifying a Geographical Indication:

A sentence of imprisonment for a term between six months to three years and a fine between fifty thousand rupees and two lakh rupees is provided in the Act. The court may reduce the punishment under special circumstances.

D. Term of GI protection:

The registration of a GI shall be for a period of ten years but may be renewed from time to time for an unlimited period by payment of the renewal fees.

Conclusion:

Detailed studies regarding the involvement of community in conservation and protection of biodiversity along with their drivers and barriers will be of immense use. One-dimensional view of innovation, based only on profit motive, in the space of biodiversity and food security, especially for the developing countries, like India, calls for more enlightened debate within the civil society.

By Tapan Ray

Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own, written in my individual and personal capacity. I do not represent any other person or organization for this opinion