GEAC CHOOSES NOT TO LISTEN TO PRESENTATIONS OF INDEPENDENT EXPERTS, FARMER LEADERS AND CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVES

On June 20th 2016, despite inviting a team of the Coalition for a GM Free India with a subject line that said “Meeting to discuss concerns with regard to transgenic technology and GM mustard”, and despite us asking for at least 2 hours’ presentation time for a 7-member delegation (at the bottom of this post is communication on this subject between GEAC and Kavitha Kuruganti), GEAC chose to first insist on just one member coming in front of the Committee, further changed to ‘3 members at the most’ and finally allowing all 7 members. This was then further compounded by the sheer injustice of asking us to make all our presentations in just 10 minutes. After 7-8 minutes of arguments, with the GEAC agreeing to give only 30 minutes at the most which we found to be completely inadequate for the task at hand, the delegation chose to walk out. In the delegation were: Yudhvir Singh, Convenor, Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers’ Movements which consists of several farmer unions of India; Rampal Jat, National President of Kisan Mahapanchayat; Dr Sharad Pawar, a Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a pulses/oilseeds breeder who was earlier with BARC; Dr Debal Deb, an Ecologist and Conserver of traditional germplasm and a Member of Expert Committee on AgroBiodiversity in National Biodiversity Authority; Kapil Shah of Organic Farming Association of India/Jatan Trust, a plant breeder by training and an organic farming promoter; Ananthoo, a consumer activist from Safe Food Alliance and Kavitha Kuruganti, Co-Convenor of Coalition for a GM-Free India. These members came into the GEAC meeting from Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and came from long distances only to know that GEAC is not keen on listening to the people that it has invited. We condemn this attitude and behaviour of GEAC.

“TRANSGENIC MUSTARD HYBRID DMH-11 IS A MAJOR SCIENTIFIC FRAUD”: 

Coalition puts out more information and analysis to showcase the rigging of data and testing –

GEAC CHOOSES NOT TO LISTEN TO PRESENTATIONS OF INDEPENDENT EXPERTS, FARMER LEADERS AND CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVES

New Delhi, June 20th 2016: Despite inviting a team from the Coalition for a GM-Free India to a GEAC meeting to make presentations on the concerns related to transgenic mustard hybrid DMH-11 of Delhi University, regulators chose not to give the team adequate time for presentations that would have revealed the level of fraud that underpinned DMH-11 R&D and testing. Members of civil society groups including farmer leaders and independent scientists expressed their deep anguish and frustration with the regulatory body which is choosing to be opaque, unscientific and non-participatory. This is already the fourth aborted attempt where GEAC pretends to invite civil society members but without any intention or commitment to listen to their analysis or concerns.

At a press conference after opting out of the GEAC meeting, members of the delegation put out more data on how Delhi University scientists notched up yield increases through DMH-11 within already rigged protocols by around 7.5% at least. They also shared that the raw data from field trials shows that “derived yield” (as estimated from trial plant stand, average pods, average seeds per pod and seed weight) is completely at variance with yields reported by the crop developers and basic scientific understanding will clearly show that data is unbelievable in its possibility of natural occurrence.

There is also new information put out by the delegates in the form of a RTI reply from ICAR’s premier rapeseed mustard research body called Directorate of Rapeseed Mustard Research (DRMR) wherein it is revealed that DRMR only acted as a postman or a courier for these trials which are being touted as ones conducted and supervised by DRMR.

“There is a clear environment that the government and its regulators have built, of wanting to support the interests of seed and chemical manufacturers, at the expense of farmers and other citizens, despite numerous risks and evidence of fraudulent science. The regulators are behaving as though they have no accountability to citizens and that they are complete repositories of all knowledge themselves, despite repeated evidence of their unscientific attitude and irresponsible discharge of duty”, said Yudhvir Singh, Convenor, Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers’ Movements (ICCFM), and a farmer leader of BKU.

It is clear from the analysis of data so far that farmers will not benefit from this transgenic hybrid mustard. In fact, we have been saying that improvement in oilseed production will happen through other policy level changes. We were keen on sharing all our alternative proposals with the regulators today but unfortunately we were not given an opportunity to do so today. We condemn the undemocratic behavior of GEAC today and we will see if the Minister for Environment & Forests will keep his promise that he made earlier of listening to all analysis, concerns and objections from our side. If GEAC goes ahead in its undemocratic ways, citizens will be forced to step up their resistance”, said Rampal Jat of Kisan Mahapanchayat.

All the detailed analysis of the Coalition with regard to agronomic trials and environmental safety studies, with the limited information that the Coalition was able to glean from various sources and raw data, was shared with the media as attached.

 

For more information, contact:

Kavitha Kuruganti : 8880067772;

Kapil Shah: 9427054132

=========================================================

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kavitha Kuruganti <kavitakuruganti@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 9:10 AM
Subject: Re: Meeting to discuss concerns with regard to transgenic technology and GM mustard
To: Member Secretary <membersecretarygeac@gmail.com>
Cc: Madhumita Biswas <mbiswas2012in@gmail.com>

Dear Ms Madhumita Biswas,
This is to confirm our participation in the upcoming GEAC meeting on June 20th 2016. There will be 7 members in our team, including scientists, farm movement representatives and consumer movement representatives. We are coming from different parts of the country into Delhi just for this. We would require at least two hours presentation time in addition to discussion time. We will be needing projection facility for making a ppt presentation. Thank you.
On Fri, Jun 3, 2016 at 11:15 AM, Member Secretary <membersecretarygeac@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Miss Kavita,
With reference to your communication dated 9th February, 2016 addressed to the Minister for Environment Forest & Climate Change requesting  for a discussion on the above mentioned subject matter, I have been directed to inform that the GEAC will be happy to meet you and your team on 20th June 2016 at 11:45 am at Narmada Conference Hall, Jal Block,Indira Paryavaran Bhavan, Jor Bagh, New Delhi. Kindly confirm your participation and provide list of your team members who will be attending the meeting.
Regards
Ms. Madhumita Biswas

Member Secretary

2 thoughts on “GEAC CHOOSES NOT TO LISTEN TO PRESENTATIONS OF INDEPENDENT EXPERTS, FARMER LEADERS AND CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVES

  1. First of all, my regards and appreciations to the dedicated 7 member team representing the Indian ordinary people. It is shocking that so much work done by very qualified, dedicated Indians from the pubic was not even given a chance to speak to the GEAC Committee to explain the results of their research etc. We constantly have to remember that Indian is the country where Mahathma Gandhi was born, and even the British listened to this one man more, and with dignity than the way in which the GEAC of India has treated their own well-meaning citizens.

    Let’s not sink into Power Politics, and let us always remember that we are all part of that once incredible abstraction Bharath Matha, Mother India, …. etc. Let us work for Bharath without collective AhamBhava, and AhamKara…Let’s not take up ‘modern’ politics of power and continue to live with our own Rama Rajya principles…

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