SDA-RF-AT-3.23.pdf
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SDA-RF-AT-3.23
Genetically Engineered
Crops and Foods
APR1MER
Dr Suman Sahai
Gene Campaign
Genetically Engineered
Crops and Foods:
A Primer
SUMAN SAHAI
Gene Campaign
J-235/A, Lane W-15C, Sainik Farms
Khanpur, New Delhi - 110 062«
Tel: +91-11-29556248 Fax: +91-11-29555961
Email: genecamp@vsnl.com; www.genecampaign.org
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Gene Campaign
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Why this Primer?
Gene Campaign has brought out this primer
as a simple guide to genetic engineering and
the various issues related to it. The primer
explains what genetic engineering is and how
it is done. It addresses questions like
whether it will solve hunger and poverty, who
the major players are in this field, the issue
of intellectual property rights and the
cultural and religious reservations about food
containing alien genes. It is hoped that this
primer will give readers a basic knowledge
about this technology and help them to
participate in decision making on GE crops
and foods.
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Gene Campaign
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With genetic engineering, you can take the genes
from a pig and put it into rice. You can cross rice
with pigs, or fish with tomatoes.
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Genetic engineering is used in many sectors like
pharmaceuticals, mining and environmental clean up
Its most controversial application is in agriculture
because people are very sensitive about the food they
eat and about how it is produced.
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* In the Gene Revolution - Genes and seeds are
patented by multinational corporations and are
expensive.
ter-
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WHO OWNS THE SEED ?
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GE technology is controlled by six MNCs.; They
own the seeds. To use their technology you have
to pay heavy license fees.
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In the Green Revolution, the farmer owned the
seed. He sold seeds to other farmers so everyone
shared the technology.
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duces enough food for
■act that it maintains
were needed,-it would
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151^ fed®
will minimize post harvest losses
ount of food that is available.
;ed water for irrigation will very
quickly increase food production in those areas that
are at present dependent on the monsoon and can
produce only one crop in a year. Availability of
irrigation facilities will enable a second crop, allowing
a big jump in food production. There is no evidence
so far that GE crops can contribute anything to
increase food production.
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WILL GE CROPS SOLVE HUNGER ?
It is difficult to see the connection between GE
crops and hunger. People are hungry either because
they do not have productive assets like land to
produce food or because they do not have incomes
to buy the food that they need. Even when our buff er
stocks have stored 60 million tons, people are still
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the Indian government has recently enacted the
Employment Guarantee Act, which should provide
employment to the poor.
It would be better to empower the poor to
produce their own food dr to buy food. Our efforts
should be focused on land reforms as also on investing
in education and skill generation in large parts of the
country. Investing in literacy and skill development
is definitely going to equip people to get employment
or generate incomes, thus empowering them to
become more food secure. It is uncertain what GE
technology could contribute.
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zeral
natural
golden cassava,
potato
and a varieties
number ofofvarieties
of high
' bred Golden Millet some years ago and
nutrition rice.
the major
staple
ICRISAT
Rice and other
staples,
richcrops.
in vitamins
and released
minerals
are available and only need to be selected fro.m existing
germplasm collections and multiplied. As against all these
'itarnin
A,Gene
high
iron and
highRice
mineral
crop
Campaign
options that are
already
available.
Golden
is still
an
uncertain product in the laboratory. Also, the auestion
must be asked: ‘Is it wise to promote a single point
technical fix to
malnutrition,
snould there
one not
to vitamin
A def iciency,
arepromote
several
instead natural balanced diets containing cereals, legumes
and leafy greens?' These are easily available to farming
families.
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. Although Golden Rice is. being presented
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E CROPS THE ANSWER TO
MALNUTRITION?
B
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IS AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
BEING IMPLEMENTED PROPERLY
IN INDIA?
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There is no policy on agricultural biotechnology
or GE crops in India.
The agenda for GE crops is framed by a small
coterie without any discussions with the Scientific
community or the National Academy of
Agricultural Sciences.
GE crops are being introduced without
consultations with farmers or civil societies.
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Gene Campaign
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WHICH GE CROPS ARE AVAILABLE
IN INDIA?
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At present, only Bt cotton is grown commercially
in India. Research, is being carried out on rice,
chickpea, potato, tobacco, rapeseed, mustard,
tomato, brinjal, cauliflower, chilli, bell pepper, banana,
cabbage, muskmelon, blackgram, coffee, pigeonpea,
wheat, citrus fruits and groundnut.
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Gene Campaign
DO WE HAVE GE FOODS
IN INDIA?
Officially, India does not have GE food crops in
cultivation. However, it is possible that some food
crops like papaya are being cultivated illegally. The
government has now begun to give permission for the
cultivation of GE foods like GE brinjal, GE okra, and
GE potato. Other food crops are in the pipeline. Many
food products, especially those prepared from
imported corn and soybean, are likely to contain GE
ingredients. Imported foods like tofu, soya nuggets,
soya milk, corn chips, sweet corn, tomato puree etc.
may have GE ingredients.
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WRONG GE RESEARCH
IN INDIA
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India is researching on Bt cabbage, B+ caulif lower,
Bt chilli, Bt brinjal, Bt tobacco even Bt rice, why?
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Why. is there no research to produce toxin free
Lathyrus (Khesari dal)?
Or, to improve the nutrition of fodder grasses?
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Gene Campaign
GENETIC ENGINEERING IS
VERY EXPENSIVE TECHNOLOGY
* Conventional varieties cost
- Approx. US$ 1 million
* GE varieties cost
- Approx.US$ 10 - 25 million
- Rs. 1800/- 450 gm bag
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* Cost of Bt cotton (seeds)
* Cost of good Indian cotton varieties
- Rs. 300-400/- 450 gm bag
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IS HERBICIDE TOLERANCE A
SUITABLE TRAIT FOR INDIA?
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90% of dll GE Crops have the Herbicide Tolerance
and Bt genes.
rol in the West,
where there are large, land holdings and no
agriculture labour. Weeds in monoculture farming are a nuisance and
have no use.
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Gene Campaign
Weeds have many uses in India, d
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with chemical herbicides will deprive rural
communities of valuable resources.
In India, Herbicide Tolerant crops will displace
labour that does the weeding
India is a labour surplus country
mixed cropping.
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ARE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED
’EDIBLE" VACCINES SAFE?
Melons and tomatoes are being genetically
. engineered to produce vaccines against cholera and
rabies.
• These 'cholera melons' or 'rabies tomatoes' are
supposed to vaccinate those who eat these fruits.
• Can they be effective as vaccine delivery
mechanisms?
•
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Gene Campaign
What if the vaccine and normal fruit get mixed
up, what happens if children eat a lot of fruit with
rabies vaccine?
• How does one regulate dosage of vaccine in fruit?
- What happens to the dosage when the fruit
is raw?
- What is the dosage with overripe fruit?
• ‘Edible Vaccines' seems to be a dangerous approach
to vaccination
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ARE GE CROPS PATENTED IN
INDIA?
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The US Government allows crops to be patented
but the Indian law does not allow patents on plants
or plant parts like cells or genes. An Indian law, called
the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer's Rights
Act, grants Plant Breeder's Rights to the developer
of a new plant variety, including a GE variety. The
Indian law acknowledges both Farmer's and Breeder's
Rights. Patents on plants or genes would harm the
interest of farmers and, national food security. We
must be vigilant that our laws do not allow plants and
seeds to be patented.
Gene Campaign
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WILL GE CROPS REDUCE THE USE OF
TOXIC CHEMICALS ?
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This does not appear to be the case. On the
contrary, we can expect higher toxic chemical
residues. The majority of GE crops are. engineered
to be grown using herbicides manufactured by the
same companies selling the seeds. Monsanto's Roundup
Ready soybean can only use Monsanto's herbicide
Roundup. The United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) data show that in the US, use
of herbicides actually increased upto 22%, not
decreased, in the cultivation of Herbicide Tolerant
GE soybean.
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Gene Campaign
CONCERNS ABOUT GE CROPS/FOODS
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• Farmer Concerns
- expensive, risky
technology
• Consumer Concerns - food safety
• Trade Concerns
- are there markets
for GE crops?
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CONCERNS
pay compensation if a GE crop 'escapes
contaminates non-GE /organic food .
Labeling of GE crops cannot be done realistically
under Indian conditions.
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Gene Campaign
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
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Foreign gene flow to related species
- can result in pernicious weeds by gene
transfer to wild relatives
- Foreign genes can contaminate native
biodivesity
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Major concern about genetic
contamination in centers of origin.
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Gene Campaign
GLOBAL POLICY ON GE CROPS IN
THEIR CENTERS OF ORIGIN
Centers of Origin
Mexico - Corn
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China
- Soybean
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Peru
- Potato
India
- Rice
- Ban
- Ban
- GE Rice being
developed.
Is this sound ?
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Gene Campaign
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TOXIC
CHEMICALS
EALTH IMPACT OF GE FOODS
Potential for allergic reaction
(Brazil nut soya, Starlink corn)
Potential for toxicity (GE Trypl
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Safety of ’edible' vaccines
(Rabies, Cholera in bananas and melons)
- fruit gets mixed up in food chain
dosage in raw fruit, overripe fruit?
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Feeding mice and rats with GE corn,
potato and tomato has resulted in
organ damage, collapsed immunity, even
death.
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of the lung tissue an<
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A secret study cor.-4
that rats fed on a diet
organ damage.
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Rats fed with GE potato
...
•me
lesions in rats, false
fals. pregnane
uncontrolled cell growth and dam
immune system following feeding stu
with GE foods. Experts think the
genetic engineering, and the shuff I
genes into natural crops, the genetic
plants may start producing new pre
cells. These new products could
produce allergies or damage the ti:
lesions or destroy the immuno <«<+<
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When the first genetically altered tomato "Flavr
Savr" was fed to rodents in the labs in 1994, they
refused to eat the GE tomatoes. Data revealed that
many of the rats that ate the GE tomato developed
lesions in their stomachs, seven of the forty rats
died within two weeks.
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Gene campaign
HOW CAN ONE AVOID GE
FOODS?
bo not buy imported foods that contain corn,
soybean, potato or tomato. These foods are likely to
be genetically engineered. There is no way of knowing
for sure if the imported food contains GE ingredients
since most companies do not provide this information
on the label. Therefore, the safest route is to avoid
such foods. Tell your families, friends and colleagues
about the risks of GE food. Ask the government to
make the food safety data public. Ask to be involved
in taking decisions on whether GE crops and foods
should be allowed in Jndia:
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ETHICAL / RELIGIOUS CONCERNS
ABOUT FOOD
Hindus object to cow genes
Vegetarians object to animal genes
Several people have found the presence of
human genes in GE food revolting since they
associate it with cannibalism.
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Gene Campaign
GE FOODS OR ORGANIC FOODS?
WHAT IS INDIA'S USP ?
* Low external input agriculture, specially in dry
land areas, can more easily turn to organic
agriculture than GE agriculture.
* 707o agriculture in India is in dryland areas.
* Resource-poor farmers can easily turn organic
since it is cost effective. GE crops are
expensive.
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GE CROPS AND ORGANIC CROPS
CAN NOT COEXIST IN INDIA
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* India will have to choose one.
* Segregation of GE - non GE organic is impossible in
small land holdings
* All crops will be contaminated with GE
-leaving farmers with no choice
- no choice for consumer
* Organic agriculture is a poverty-reducing tool
- organic markets are growing
- India has competitive advantage in organic
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SO, GE OR ORGANIC ?
GE Crops
Organic Crops
•Alien technology
Familiar technology
•Farmers dependent on
Farmers do their
external sources for
own problem solving
problem solving
• Expensive
Affordable
• Global markets
Global markets
diminishing
increasing
4*
• 158 countries/states/
regions have declared
themselves to be
GE free
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4*
About Gene Campaign
Gene Campaign is a research and advocacy
organization working for food and
livelihood security for rural and tribal
communities. It led the efforts to get
Farmers' Rights incorporated into the
Indian legislation and is striving for the
recognition of indigenous knowledge as
the intellectual property of rural
communities. Gene Campaign fights
against biopiracy and works to protect
indigenous products like Basmati rice and
turmeric.
Gene Campaign holds the view that
decisions on GE crops must be taken
with stakeholder inputs. These crops
should be subjected to stringent cost and
risk benefit analyses and adopted only if'
they are proven safe and superior to
available alternatives.
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J-235/A, Lane W -150, Sajnik Farms, New Delhi - 110062.
Tel.: +91 1f 29556248 Fax. +91 11 29555961
E-mail: genecamp@vsnl.com
Website: http://www.genecampaign.org
ISBN No.: 81-901.009-5-5
£
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