Bt brinjal is India's first genetically modified (GM) edible product. The Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco), announced in April, 2009 that the Bt Brinjal is in the final stage of obtaining an approval from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the biotechnology regulatory body of the Government of India and would be commercially released by the end of 2009.
India is the second largest producer of brinjal after China, accounting for 26% of world production. It is an important cash crop grown on nearly 550,000 hectares in India. Brinjal, the 90-day crop is prone to attack from pests and insects, the most destructive being the Fruit and Shoot borer (FSB), Leucinodes orbonalis. It poses a serious problem because of its high reproductive potential and losses upto 70% in commercial planting have been reported due to FSB. Mahyco claims Bt brinjal can reduce this loss upto 10% and moreover, farmers would require 70% less insecticides to fight FSB. Mahyco has already collaborated with three Indian agricultural universities and universities in Bangladesh and the Philippines to share the technology and develop local Bt brinjal seed varieties, suitable to the particular region’s soil and temperature which are also affordable.
The safety of GM crops is largely ambiguous. The consumer groups and NGOs have expressed concern over the consumption of Bt brinjal. Mahyco claimed that in terms of composition, it is not different from the normal brinjal, except for the additional Bt protein. Interestingly, the GEAC, between May and September 2006, has granted approval for 24 items, including Bt cotton, Bt cauliflower, Bt brinjal, Bt rice, transgenic rice, Bt castor, Bt groundnut, transgenic tomato and potato. Mahyco also announced that the company is developing Bt varieties of other vegetables.
Other links:
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/india/press/reports/brijal-briefing.pdf
http://www.croplifeasia.org/ref_library/biotechnology/Bt%20Brinjal%20in%20India.pdf
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/09/28/stories/2007092850320800.htm
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