No Harmful Effect of Bt Cotton Seeds Says Indian Agric Minister

While responding to parliamentary query on harmful effects of genetically modified (GM) seeds, the Indian Minister of State for Agriculture Sh Kanti Lal Bhuria informed that “no harmful effect of Bt cotton seeds on human and animal health, plant life and environment has been reported”. Bt cotton is the only GM crop approved for commercial cultivation by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, on the basis of environmental and bio-safety evaluations.

The Minister also informed the Parliament that there is no proposal with the Government to ban production and sale of GM seeds duly approved by the GEAC on the basis of their suitability in the various agro-climatic zones with regards to their performance Bt cotton seeds are being produced and marketed in the country by private seed companies. The Government has organized Public Awareness Programmes to educate the farmers about the risks and benefits associated with the GM crops, he added.

See the Press Information Bureau (PIB) press release: Genetically Modified Crops at http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=25794. For more information contact: b.choudhary@isaaa.org.