Time for a comprehensive evaluation of the Bt cotton experience: Jairam Ramesh
THE FOLLOWING IS A CLARIFICATORY MAIL SENT BY UNION MINISTER MR JAIRAM RAMESH TO ABLE-AG, AFTER A PRESS RELEASE WAS PUT OUT BY THE INDUSTRY LOBBY GROUP QUOTING THE MINISTER OPPORTUNISTICALLY AND “APPROPRIATE HIS REMARKS TO ITS ADVANTAGE”. From: Jairam Ramesh To: seetharama@ableindia.org Cc: Kavitha Kuruganti ; Pushpa Mittra Bhargava Sent: Wednesday, 13 June 2012, […]
BT COTTON FAILED THE MAJORITY OF COTTON FARMERS IN INDIA: EXPERIENCE NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED COMPREHENSIVELY
Ten years of Bt cotton in India: Review findings (Annexure to Press Note released by CEE/CSA/CSD on June 13th 2012) A 10-year review process of Bt cotton in India was initiated by Centre for Environment Education (Ahmedabad), Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (Hyderabad) and Council for Social Development (New Delhi), through a national conference organized in […]
Right time to review a decade of Bt cotton: National conference questions the success claims
“RIGHT TIME TO REVIEW TEN YEARS OF Bt COTTON” – NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON Bt COTTON QUESTIONS THE SUCCESS CLAIMS: EXPRESSES CONCERN ON THREAT TO OUR SEED SOVEREIGNTY New Delhi, June 12, 2012: A two-day national conference to review ten years of Bt cotton experience in India, by various stakeholders including farmers’ groups, regulators, industry and […]
On what basis is GEAC deciding to woo state govts on GM field trials?
Coalition for a GM-Free India New Delhi 7th May 2012 To, Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan The H’ble Minister, MoSEF (Independent Charge) Government of India. SUBJECT: YOUR STATEMENT IN PARLIAMENT ON 27 MARCH 2012: ‘DELAY IN NOCS FOR GM CROPS TRIALS’ Dear Madam Minister, Greetings from the Coalition for GM-Free India. In your statement in the Rajya […]
Dismal picture of cotton in Madhya Pradesh in the past decade
A report released by Beej Swaraj Abhiyan and Hamara Beej Abhiyan in Madhya Pradesh on March 31st 2012, also including data from a primary survey taken up in 2012, to look at the comparative performance of Bt cotton with a set of sample farmers in Kharif 2011 as compared to their experiences in Kharif 2011, […]
Bt cotton hype in Karnataka exposed
A report released on the occasion of a one-day workshop called “10 years of Bt cotton in Karnataka: Whither other cotton?”, with partial support from the Karnataka State Biodiversity Board on March 29th 2012 is available here. This report exposes the reality of fluctuating yields of cotton in the state, increasing use of chemical pesticides […]
10 years of Bt Cotton – False Hype and Failed Promises Exposed
The false hype and failed promises of Bt cotton in India were exposed by the Coalition for GM-Free India with a special report released in a press conference here today. As the 10th anniversary of Bt cotton’s regulatory approval in India approaches, the Coalition, using data from government institutions, highlighted that the hype around Bt […]
(Rajasthan) Government bans GM trials, to burn standing crop
The Rajasthan government has put on hold all trials of genetically modified (GM) crops in the state. In an order dated 13 March, the Principal Secretary, Agriculture, government of Rajasthan stated “..no trials of GM crops should be conducted in the State until final decision in this matter is taken.” “The issue (of permitting trials […]
New report damns India’s GM crop regulation
An explosive new report on the safety asseessment of Bt brinjal (eggplant/aubergine) by Prof. Jack Heinemann has been submitted to India’s Minister of Environment and Forests. Its findings suggest the regulation and official expertise brought to bear on GM crops are either grossly incompetent… or worse. Latha Jishnu’s article below spells out the details. Aruna […]
Mr Prime Minister, Your comments on the opposition to GM crops & Nuclear power plants
Dr Manmohan Singh, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, # 7, Race Course Road, New Delhi March 05, 2012 Your Comments on the Opposition to GM Crops and Nuclear Power Plants Dear Mr. Prime Minister There has been wide coverage of your interview with the journal ‘Science’, on February 24, 2012 concerning the […]
Meet David Runyon…and understand Monsanto some more!
MEET DAVID RUNYON…AND UNDERSTAND MONSANTO SOME MORE ! Meet David Runyon, an “average-sized” farmer with 900 acres from Indiana, USA. He was in India recently and I had a chance to meet and discuss with him various issues related to American farming. He seemed nervous in the alien setting when I met him in Bangalore […]
Coalition’s Letter to GEAC about Gujarat Field Trials
February 28, 2012 To: Shri M F Farooqui, Chairperson, Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 3. Dear Shri Farooqui, Sub: Field Trials of GM Crops in Gujarat violative of EPA 1989 rules It has come to light through responses to RTI queries that […]
PM’s statement a purposive attempt to prevent a healthy debate on GM crops in India
Prime Ministers Statement – Is a purposive attempt to prevent a healthy debate on GM crops in India It reeks of an inherent disrespect for science and democracy 27th February 2012: The Coalition for a GM-Free India is outraged by the statement made by the Prime Minister Sri.Manmohan Singh on foreign-funded NGOs as being the […]
“GM FIELD TRIALS IN GUJARAT VIOLATIVE OF EPA RULES: RTI RESPONSES”
Sharing with media copies of information obtained through Right To Information Act, activists of Coalition for a GM-Free India pointed out that the open-air field trials of GM maize permitted in Gujarat are violative of EPA norms and demanded their immediate destruction. Apart from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat is the only state to have allowed any […]
Feb 9th is National Safe Food Day !!
Coalition for a GM-Free India celebrates Feb 9th as National Safe Food Day New Delhi: February 9, 2012: On the second anniversary of the decision taken by the then Minister for Environment & Forests to declare a moratorium on Bt brinjal, the Coalition for a GM-Free India has decided to mark and celebrate February 9th […]