bt brinjal – Page 2

Bt Brinjal terror spreads in the country and crosses border

15Nov

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Bt Brinjal terror spreads in the country and crosses border

Farida Akhter The environmental, farmers and women’s groups are outraged at the news that despite the failure of the first field cultivation scheme, the government of Bangladesh has taken a programme to distribute saplings of genetically modified Bt brinjal among over 100 farmers. Dr. Rafiqul Islam Mondol, Director General of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), told The Dhaka Tribune “We selected 106 farmers in 17 districts to distribute the saplings. The distribution began in October 2014”. Each farmer is given saplings of two varieties for half bigha (16.5 decimal) land, though BARI initially decided to suggest one bigha (33 decimal of land) for each variety. (see BARI moves to pularise BtBrinjal in Dhaka Tribune ). In a protest rally held on 12 November...

BT BRINJAL COMMERCIALISATION: Alarming alliance of four M’s

4Oct

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

BT BRINJAL COMMERCIALISATION: Alarming alliance of four M’s

Farida Akhter The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institution (BARI) is a public institution under the agriculture ministry and is obliged to serve public interest. As a public research institution, its primary task is to decide research priorities that must contribute to the benefit of the farming community, enhance the formal and informal scientific knowledge base of Bangladesh and strictly protect natural, biological and intellectual property of the people of the country. Unfortunately, the institution has miserably failed to meet to its obligation and responsibility. The ill practice of using farmers in Bangladesh for cultivating the controversial GM food crop Bt brinjal on behalf of the multinational company Monsanto through the Maharasthra Hybrid Seed Company (Mah...

19Jul

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

Protest against selling of Bt. Brinjal

Bt Begun Birodhi Morcha (Coalition against Bt Brinjal) Selling Without Label: Breach of Terms of Approval, Immediately stop cultivation and marketing of Bt Brinjal. Stop selling GM crops without public awareness of adverse impacts, demand by Bt Begun Birodhi Morcha (Coalition against Bt Brinjal) Bt. Begun Birodhi Morcha (Coalition against Bt Brinjal) expressed concerns over the open selling of Bt Brinjals cultivated in few districts of the country. According to the approval given for limited cultivation of Bt Brinjal at the farmers’ field it was mandatory to label Bt Brinjal at the time of selling. This in line with the international policies and demands of the consumer groups to label Genetically Modified crop for awareness of the consumers. Through labeling the consumers can ...

Farmers are cheated in Bt Brinjal ‘field cultivation’: A failed attempt at the cost of risks to human health and environment

9Apr

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

Farmers are cheated in Bt Brinjal ‘field cultivation’: A failed attempt at the cost of risks to human health and environment

Farida Akhter On 22nd January, 2014 twenty farmers from four districts were given the saplings of Bt Brinjal in ceremony organized by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC). The Agricultural Minister Matia Chowdhury gave out the trays of saplings along with a booklet. The farmers selected by BARI were happy because they thought they were fortunate ones to be chosen for such a ceremonial distribution of saplings. Matia said while addressing as the chief guest, “We have decided to start cultivating Bt brinjal after different necessary tests at home and abroad. We took long time to experiment all pros and cons for introducing the cultivation of this variety. There is no alternative to accept the reality of the GM crops...

Bangladesh to become guinea pig for Bt Brinjal

5Nov

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

Bangladesh to become guinea pig for Bt Brinjal

Farida Akhter || Tuesday 05 November 2013 || READ BY SUBJECT: Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics It is very unfortunate that Bangladesh government, which is now in Poll time period (next election is in January, 2014) has taken a step for a policy disregarding public opinion and which has serious implications for its people as consumers, for farmers and for environment. The National Committee on Biosafety (NCB) officially released four Bt brinjal, which is infused with pest-resistant gene. According to newspaper reports, the four varieties of BtBrinjal — Bt Brinjal-1 (Uttara), Bt Brinjal-2 (Kajla), Bt Brinjal-3 (Nayantara), and Bt Brinjal-4 (Iswardi local) — would first be released on limited scales as per a production manual following biosafety guidelines, according ...

International Scientists Say “No” to Bt Brinjal approval

30Aug

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

International Scientists Say “No” to Bt Brinjal approval

Farida Akhter || Friday 30 August 2013 || READ BY SUBJECT: Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics Despite indefinite moratorium on Bt Brinjal trial in India and Supreme Court ban in the Philippines, it is alarming that Bangladesh is preparing for the approval for commercial release. In India, similar attempts to introduce Bt. Brinjal in the market led to controversy and on February 9, 2010, the ministry of environment and forests imposed a moratorium on Bt Brinjal. In the absence of scientific consensus and opposition from state governments and others, the ministry decided to impose a moratorium on the commercialisation of Bt Brinjal until all concerns expressed by the public, NGOs, scientists and the state government were addressed adequately. In India, the Minister ...

18Apr

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Btbrinjal & Corporate Politics

Bt Brinjal and Begoon

Farida Akhter Bangladesh Approving Bt Brinjal !! Risk to Environment, Biodiversity and Health "Begoon" (Brinjal or Eggplant) is a very common and favourite vegetable in Bangladesh. It is even becoming an international vegetable along with okra and cauliflower because of the Indian Restaurants in Europe and North America. But for us in Bangladesh, it is not just a vegetable, it has more link with the social, cultural and economic lives of rural people, particularly women. It is cultivated in the agricultural fields sometimes as a cash crop in the commercial vegetable growing areas, but every rural household has few brinjal plants in the kitchen garden. But unfortunately, now this Brinjal is facing severe and aggressive threat from the Biotech industry with the so-called Bt. B...